Of the importance of a leaf: the ethnobotany of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans

BACKGROUND: Sarma - cooked leaves rolled around a filling made from rice and/or minced meat, possibly vegetables and seasoning plants - represents one of the most widespread feasting dishes of the Middle Eastern and South-Eastern European cuisines. Although cabbage and grape vine sarma is well-known worldwide, the use of alternative plant leaves remains largely unexplored. The aim of this research was to document all of the botanical taxa whose leaves are used for preparing sarma in the folk cuisines of Turkey and the Balkans. Methods: Field studies were conducted during broader ethnobotanical surveys, as well as during ad-hoc investigations between the years 2011 and 2014 that included diverse rural communities in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Primary ethnobotanical and folkloric literatures in each country were also considered. Results: Eighty-seven botanical taxa, mainly wild, belonging to 50 genera and 27 families, were found to represent the bio-cultural heritage of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans. The greatest plant biodiversity in sarma was found in Turkey and, to less extent, in Bulgaria and Romania. The most commonly used leaves for preparing sarma were those of cabbage (both fresh and lacto-fermented), grape vine, beet, dock, sorrel, horseradish, lime tree, bean, and spinach. In a few cases, the leaves of endemic species (Centaurea haradjianii, Rumex gracilescens, and R. olympicus in Turkey) were recorded. Other uncommon sarma preparations were based on lightly toxic taxa, such as potato leaves in NE Albania, leaves of Arum, Convolvulus, and Smilax species in Turkey, of Phytolacca americana in Macedonia, and of Tussilago farfara in diverse countries. Moreover, the use of leaves of the introduced species Reynoutria japonica in Romania, Colocasia esculenta in Turkey, and Phytolacca americana in Macedonia shows the dynamic nature of folk cuisines. Conclusion: The rich ethnobotanical diversity of sarma confirms the urgent need to record folk culinary plant knowledge. The results presented here can be implemented into initiatives aimed at re-evaluating folk cuisines and niche food markets based on local neglected ingredients, and possibly also to foster trajectories of the avant-garde cuisines inspired by ethnobotanical knowledge

Deltamethrinin lepistes (Poecilia reticulata)’deki lipaz enzimi üzerine etkisi

Güneş, Elif (Aksaray, Yazar)Yaygın kullanıma sahip bir sentetik pyrethroid olan deltamehtrinin Poecilia reticulata’daki lipaz enzim aktivitesi üzerine etkisi bu çalışma kapsamında incelenmiştir. Kontrol grubu ve 5 farklı deney grubu, deltamethrinin farklı konsantrasyonlarına maruz bırakılmışlardır. Deneyler 3’er defa tekrar edilmiş ve her bir deneyde 60 balık kullanılmıştır. Lipaz aktivitesi titrasyon yöntemi kullanılarak saptanmıştır. Kontrol grubunda lipaz aktivitesi 5 u/dak bulunurken, en yüksek konsantrasyonda deltamethrin verilen grupta 2,5 u/dak olarak bulunmuştur. Deney sonuçları deltamethrinin lipaz aktivitesini inhibe ettiğini göstermektedir. Lipaz aktivitesinde meydana gelen bu değişimin, balığın besin alımını ve fizyolojik şartlarını negatif olarak etkilemesi muhtemeldirEffect of the deltamethrin, which is extensively used synthetic pyrethroid, was investigated on the lipase activity of Poecilia reticulata in the present study. One control and five experimental groups were exposed to different concentrations of deltamethrin. Three experiments, including 60 guppies each, were conducted. Titration method was used in order to determine the lipase activity. Lipase activity level in control group was 5 U/min, while it was 2.5 U/min in the highest concentration of deltamethrin exposed fish. These results revealed that deltamethrin inhibited the lipase activity which may have a negative effect on nutrition and physiological condition of fish