The Ethnobiology of Wild Foods: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 4907

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ethnobiology of wild foods has received increasing attention in recent years, since traditional foodways around the world are still based on several wild plant, animal, fungal, microorganism, and mineral ingredients, as well as their food products and culinary preparations.

In the last few decades, wild foods in different parts of the world have been the subject of revalorization and commodification processes, with complex outcomes at the social, cultural, and economic level. Within these processes, wild foods have also come under the attention of the tourism and gastronomic sectors, which are bridging innovation and the (re)invention of traditions. Their commodification has, however, sometimes led, in different contexts, to over-harvesting and has threatened the continuation of their use for subsistence.

Wild foods around the globe therefore urgently need to be documented and evaluated, not only in terms of their biological, chemical, technological, nutritional, and pharmacological aspects, but especially in their social, cultural, and religious significance.

Original research on traditional/local wild foods will be particularly welcome, as well as attempts to determine the impact of the survival of these food items for fostering community-centered strategies of local development and sustainable food systems, attuned to local ecologies and cultural heritage.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Pieroni
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ethnobotany
  • ethnomycology
  • ethnozoology
  • ethnozymology
  • TEK
  • local development
  • gastronomy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1256 KB  
Article
Is Boiling Bitter Greens a Legacy of Ancient Crete? Contemporary Foraging in the Minoan Refugium of the Lasithi Plateau
by Mousaab Alrhmoun, Naji Sulaiman, Shiekh Marifatul Haq, Syed Abidullah, Julia Prakofjewa, Nikos Krigas, Andrea Pieroni and Renata Sõukand
Foods 2024, 13(22), 3588; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223588 - 10 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1708
Abstract
Wild greens (WGs) play a significant role in Mediterranean diets (MDs), reflecting botanical and cultural diversities, mainly influenced by a complex conglomerate of local human ecologies. This study investigates local ecological knowledge (LEK) linked to traditional gathering and consumption of WGs in the [...] Read more.
Wild greens (WGs) play a significant role in Mediterranean diets (MDs), reflecting botanical and cultural diversities, mainly influenced by a complex conglomerate of local human ecologies. This study investigates local ecological knowledge (LEK) linked to traditional gathering and consumption of WGs in the Lasithi Plateau of eastern Crete, where human genetic studies one decade ago showed very peculiar patterns, hypothesising that the Minoan civilisation took refuge there before it disappeared. A field ethnobotanical study was conducted to document the diversity of WGs and their detailed local culinary uses in the Lasithi area by interviewing 31 study participants. Fifty-nine folk taxa (species and subspecies) were recorded, corresponding to fifty-eight botanical taxa. A quotation index was measured to assess the cultural significance of WGs in the study areas; logistic regression analysis was adopted to understand the impact of sensory classifications of WGs and their local cooking methods. Lasithi’s foraging showed a notable prevalence of bitter-tasting WGs, which play a central role in local cognition and culinary practices. This bitterness aspect of WGs, potentially influenced by cultural preferences and genetic factors, probably suggests a connection to the ancient Lasithi’s inhabitants, i.e., Minoan dietary habits. We found that bitterness is the predominant sensory attribute in Lasithi, characterising 45.76% of the WGs. These findings underscore the complex interplay between local ecologies and biodiversity, LEK, and dietary traditions, highlighting the importance of WGs in understanding the evolution of foraging and plant culinary diversities across the Mediterranean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethnobiology of Wild Foods: 2nd Edition)
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24 pages, 6767 KB  
Article
Effect of Different Seasons and Development Stages on the Chemical Composition and Bioactive Potential of Cardoon
by Filipa Mandim, Márcio Carocho, Spyridon A. Petropoulos, Celestino Santos-Buelga and Lillian Barros
Foods 2024, 13(16), 2536; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13162536 - 14 Aug 2024
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Abstract
Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon) is a wild species of the Mediterranean basin and is highly appreciated due to its rich nutritional value and versatile industrial applications. It is widely known that environmental conditions, such as air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation, among others, [...] Read more.
Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon) is a wild species of the Mediterranean basin and is highly appreciated due to its rich nutritional value and versatile industrial applications. It is widely known that environmental conditions, such as air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation, among others, play a crucial role in plant phenological variations and the chemical composition and bioactive properties of different plant tissues of cardoon. This study applied several statistical methods to uncover the variations in biomolecules of different cardoon tissues collected in Greece over the growth cycle. The influence of the different seasons on the species is evident, resulting in a clear discrimination between the samples harvested throughout the growth cycle. In addition, the observed fluctuations in chemical composition are consistent with each vegetable tissue’s functions and the plant’s different physiological processes. This work allows for a better understanding and knowledge of the species, encouraging more profitable and sustainable use of all the plant parts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethnobiology of Wild Foods: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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28 pages, 2691 KB  
Review
Wild Edible Fungi in the Catalan Linguistic Area: A Scoping Review Linking Nutritional Value to Ethnomycology
by Canòlich Álvarez-Puig, Joan Casamartina, Teresa Garnatje, Manel Niell, Airy Gras and Joan Vallès
Foods 2025, 14(16), 2897; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162897 - 20 Aug 2025
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Abstract
The Catalan Linguistic Area (CLA) is a mycophile region where interest in the nutritional properties of traditional edible fungi is steadily growing, driven by their gastronomic appeal. The present study undertakes a scoping review with two main objectives. First, to compile a list [...] Read more.
The Catalan Linguistic Area (CLA) is a mycophile region where interest in the nutritional properties of traditional edible fungi is steadily growing, driven by their gastronomic appeal. The present study undertakes a scoping review with two main objectives. First, to compile a list of edible fungi taxa identified in the CLA, and second, to determine whether their nutritional values have already been published. Data were collected through books from different library catalogues and archives, expert consultations, a specialized database, and a search in three academic databases: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. As a result, we obtained a list of 643 culinary fungi taxa, of which 35.46% have reported nutritional values. Moreover, among the most cited CLA culinary fungi, Hygrophorus latitabundus Britzelm. and Hypomyces lateritius (Fr.) Tul. & C. Tul. have no nutritional values reported in the literature. Additionally, an ethnomycoticity index (EMI) and ethnomyconymic diversity index are proposed as adaptations to ethnomycology of two commonly used ethnobotanical indices. To conclude, wild edible fungi (WEF) are widely used in the CLA, but nutritional values for the majority of macromycetes are still lacking. Further studies need to be carried out regarding ethnomycology, enhancing their nutritional values, since data recorded are disperse and difficult to standardise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethnobiology of Wild Foods: 2nd Edition)
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