Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants used in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal): a comparative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We compare traditional knowledge and use of wild edible plants in six rural regions of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula as follows: Campoo, Picos de Europa, Piloña, Sanabria and Caurel in Spain and Parque Natural de Montesinho in Portugal.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data on the use of 97 species were collected through informed consent semi-structured interviews with local informants. A semi-quantitative approach was used to document the relative importance of each species and to indicate differences in selection criteria for consuming wild food species in the regions studied.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>The most significant species include many wild berries and nuts (e.g. <it>Castanea sativa, Rubus ulmifolius, Fragaria vesca</it>) and the most popular species in each food-category (e.g. fruits or herbs used to prepare liqueurs such as <it>Prunus spinosa</it>, vegetables such as <it>Rumex acetosa</it>, condiments such as <it>Origanum vulgare</it>, or plants used to prepare herbal teas such as <it>Chamaemelum nobile</it>). The most important species in the study area as a whole are consumed at five or all six of the survey sites.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Social, economic and cultural factors, such as poor communications, fads and direct contact with nature in everyday life should be taken into account in determining why some wild foods and traditional vegetables have been consumed, but others not. They may be even more important than biological factors such as richness and abundance of wild edible flora. Although most are no longer consumed, demand is growing for those regarded as local specialties that reflect regional identity.</p

Bísaro Sensory evaluation of Bísaro pork meat products

O objectivo deste trabalho foi a caracterização sensorial da carne e produtos transformados de porco Bísaro. Esta caracterização foi feita por um painel de provadores treinado que avaliou através de uma análise descritiva quantitativa atributos objectivos dos produtos em análise, e por um painel de consumidores que avaliou o nível de agrado por cada um dos produtos. Os procedimentos foram feitos de acordo com as Normas Portuguesas. Os resultados da avaliação pelo painel de provadores indicaram que a carne de porco Bísaro tem excelentes qualidades organolépticas. É uma carne clara, com sabores e odores moderadamente intensos, bastante tenra e suculenta. Os consumidores consideraram os produtos avaliados agradáveis a bastante agradáveis. Destacaram o cachaço, considerando- o muito agradável. O cachaço, produto curado, foi pontuado pelo painel de provadores como tenro e suculento.Os resultados apresentados são relativos ao projecto PRODER SI I&DT Medida 4.1 Cooperação para a inovação – Projetos em Co -promoção, n.º21511; BISIPORC, realizado por Bísaro Salsicharia Tradicional e Laboratório de Tecnologia e Qualidade da Carne e da Carcaça, Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Crop changes from the XVI century to the present in a hill/mountain area of eastern Liguria (Italy)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronological information on the composition and structure of agrocenoses and detailed features of land cover referring to specific areas are uncommon in ethnobotanical studies, especially for periods before the XIX century. The aim of this study was to analyse the type of crop or the characteristics of soil cover from the XVI century to the present.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This diachronic analysis was accomplished through archival research on the inventories of the Parish of St. Mary and those of the Municipality of Pignone and from recent surveys conducted in an area of eastern Liguria (Italy).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Archival data revealed that in study area the primary means of subsistence during the last five centuries, until the first half of the XX century, was chestnuts. In the XVIII and XIX centuries, crop diversification strongly increased in comparison with previous and subsequent periods. In more recent times, the abandonment of agricultural practices has favoured the re-colonisation of mixed woodland or cluster-pine woodland.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Ancient documents in the ecclesiastic or municipal inventories can be a very useful tool for enhancing the knowledge of agricultural practice, as well as of subsistence methods favoured by local populations during a particular time and for reconstructing land use change over time.</p

Conocimientos tradicionales relativos a la biodiversidad agrícola

La biodiversidad agrícola, a diferencia de la silvestre, requiere la acción continuada de los agricultores para su conservación, ya que las plantas cultivadas dependen de la intervención humana, con actividades como la selección, la siembra, el abonado, la poda u otras prácticas agrícolas para su supervivencia. Desde la revolución agrícola del Neolítico hasta la actualidad, estas prácticas y conocimientos han ido generando y conservando una gran diversidad, amenazada a partir de la segunda mitad del siglo XX por las causas que se han indicado anteriormente.Peer reviewe

Montia fontana L. (Portulacaceae), an interesting wild vegetable traditionally consumed in the Iberian Peninsula

Montia fontana L. is an aquatic plant traditionally consumed in the Centre and West of the Iberian Peninsula, where it is one of the most highly valued wild vegetables. The aim of this work was to evaluate both the natural yield and nutritional value of this scarcely known plant. Two wild populations, from two different sites of Central Spain, were sampled during three consecutive years. Plant production was estimated by two parameters: production per unit of surface and plant percentage cover in the selected site. Nutritional analyses included proximate composition and total energy, mineral macro and microelements, vitamin C, and organic acids. Mean yield at the growing areas was 2.64 kg/m2, though significant differences among sites and years were found. There was a positive correlation between production and accumulated rainfall from the beginning of the year till the collecting dates. The percentage cover of the species in the potential growing area was 8.25%, without significant differences among sites and years. Therefore, the wild populations of the species can reach a total mean production of 2,138 kg/ha in this Spanish region. This is the first report of a global nutrient composition for Montia fontana. After moisture, the major constituent was fibre (4.44%), much higher than many cultivated vegetables. Also appreciable amounts of vitamin C (34 mg/100 g) and Mn (1.07 mg/100 g) were found. Due to its high lipid content (1.94%) this wild vegetable could be regarded as one of the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids among the leafy vegetables. This species can be considered an interesting wild resource for being included in the diet. Further research is needed for addressing its potential for being cultivated under different culture systems and for selecting accessions with lower oxalate content.Research funding was obtained from ERDF and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (CGL2006- 09546/BOS).Peer reviewe

Wild Fruits of <i>Crataegus monogyna</i> Jacq. and <i>Sorbus aria</i> (L.) Crantz: From Traditional Foods to Innovative Sources of Pigments and Antioxidant Ingredients for Food Products

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.) and whitebeam (Sorbus aria (L.) Crantz) are wild species traditionally used as ethnic foods in the Mediterranean area. Their red berries, and mainly the peels, may be used as ingredients due to their color (replacing other synthetic colorants) or functional properties. Some previous studies analyze all edible fruits, but there is very little literature on the composition and properties of the pulpless epidermis of the fruits of C. monogyna and no literature concerning the fruits of S. aria. Total phenolic compounds (TPC) and families of hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, and total monomeric anthocyanins were determined in the epidermis of C. monogyna and S. aria fruits. The in vitro antioxidant capacity was also determined using QUENCHER (Quick-Easy-New-CHEap-Reproducible) methodology. Anthocyanins profiles were analyzed in hydroalcoholic extracts through HPLC/MS. C. monogyna fruits presented higher content of TPC than S. aria, with hydroxybenzoic acids (2870.6 mg GAE/100g dw) as the major family, followed by flavonols (771.4 mg QE/100 g dw) and hydroxycinnamic acids (610.3 FAE/100 g dw). Anthocyanins were found in 251.7 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/100 g dw, characterized by the content of cyanidin-O-hexoxide and peonidin-O-hexoxide. The levels of these compounds correlated with higher values of a* parameter (higher intensity of reddish color). These fruits also showed higher antioxidant capacity by Q-Folin–Ciocalteu and Q-FRAP. S. aria peels had fewer phenolic compounds, particularly anthocyanins (33.7 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/100 g dw), containing different cyanidin derivatives. From these results, new insights about the composition of the epidermis of these wild fruits are provided, and their potential as ingredients for the food industry is corroborated

Taming the pandemic? The importance of homemade plant-based foods and beverages as community responses to COVID-19.

Household responses to COVID-19 in different corners of the world represent the primary health care that communities have relied on for preventing and mitigating symptoms. During a very complex and confusing time, in which public health services in multiple countries have been completely overwhelmed, and in some cases even collapsed, these first-line household responses have been quintessential for building physical, mental, and social resilience, and for improving individual and community health. This editorial discusses the outcomes of a rapid-response preliminary survey during the first phase of the pandemic among social and community contacts in five metropolises heavily affected by the COVID-19 health crisis (Wuhan, Milan, Madrid, New York, and Rio de Janeiro), and in twelve rural areas or countries initially less affected by the pandemic (Appalachia, Jamaica, Bolivia, Romania, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Georgia, Turkey, Pakistan, Cambodia, and South Africa). We summarized our perspectives as 17 case studies, observing that people have relied primarily on teas and spices (“food-medicines”) and that there exist clear international plant favorites, popularized by various new media. Urban diasporas and rural households seem to have repurposed homemade plant-based remedies that they use in normal times for treating the flu and other respiratory symptoms or that they simply consider healthy foods. The most remarkable shift in many areas has been the increased consumption of ginger and garlic, followed by onion, turmeric, and lemon. Our preliminary inventory of food medicines serves as a baseline for future systematic ethnobotanical studies and aims to inspire in-depth research on how use patterns of plant-based foods and beverages, both “traditional” and “new”, are changing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our reflections in this editorial call attention to the importance of ethnobiology, ethnomedicine, and ethnogastronomy research into domestic health care strategies for improving community health

Las plantas medicinales en el inventario español sobre los conocimientos Tradicionales relativos al patrimonio natural y a la biodiversidad

En las últimas décadas las organizaciones internacionales han puesto de manifiesto la importancia de los conocimientos ecológicos tradicionales para la conservación y el uso sostenible de la diversidad biológica, como se refleja en el Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica (CBD 1992). En España, el marco jurídico que recoge las normas y recomendaciones de esta estrategia es la Ley de Patrimonio Natural y Biodiveresidad 42/2007 que establece la creación del Inventario Español de Conocimientos Tradicionales (IECT) relevantes para la conservación y el uso sostenible de la biodiversidad y geodiversidad. Desde hace más de un año un equipo de más de 60 investigadores, incluyendo botánicos, zoólogos, antropólogos, ecólogos y geólogos de más de 20 centros de investigación y universidades del estado español, están trabajando en el IEDT, con el objetivo de recopilar y difundir la información publicada sobre los conocimientos tradicionales relativos a la flora, fauna, geodiversidad y el manejo de los ecosistemas

Sharing Plant Uses with Animals: Plants Used for Feeding and Curing Humans and Animals in the Spanish Inventory of Traditional Knowledge Related to Biodiversity

Trabajo presentado en la 57th Annual Meeting of the Society for Economic Botany (Cultural resilience and resource extraction: preserving plants & people of degraded ecosystems), celebrada en Pine Mountain (USA) del 5 al 9 de junio de 2016.Spain has a very rich and dynamic traditional ecological knowledge system that has suffered severe erosion over the last decades. This knowledge has been deeply influenced by a rich and diverse historical heritage that includes many centuries old documents from ancient cultures, some over 2000 years old. Spanish acute useful flora comprises around 3,000 species, most of them autochthonous. A team of more than 70 scientists from more than 30 universities and other research centres are developing the Spanish Inventory of Traditional Knowledge. The inventory includes a database with information from over180 papers. The review of such papers showed that more than 2,300 plant species are used in human and animal food and medicine: 1,681 in human medicine, 1,295 in animal food, 953 in human food and 709 in veterinary medicine. Nearly 14% of the species (313) are shared in the four categories and a very important amount of species are used both for humans and animals: 35% of the species (800) are employed in animal food and medicine, 31% (710) in human food and medicine, 28% (650) in human and veterinary medicine and 27% (624) in animal and human food. This high percentage of overlap between human and animal uses may indicate that the observation of animal behaviour , specially feeding and selfmedication behaviours, might have given clues to humans on how to use food and medicinal plants[Lo1]. It also reinforces the idea that food and medicine represent a continuum not only for humans, but also for animals.Peer reviewe