Volume 172, Issue 2, June 2013, Pages 239-253
a
Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Veterinary
Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences,
Kreutzwaldi 62, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
b Estonian Literary Museum, Vanemuise 42, Tartu, 51003, Estonia
b Estonian Literary Museum, Vanemuise 42, Tartu, 51003, Estonia
Abstract
In this ethnobotanical study, the authors provide the first quantitative analysis of the use of wild edible plants in Estonia,
describing the domains and assessing the food importance of different
species. The information was collected using free-listing written
questionnaires and concerned plants used by the respondents in their
childhood. As part of a major study, this article covers the responses
of professionals with some botanical education at vocational or
university level, to ensure the greatest possible reliability without
using voucher specimens. Fifty-eight respondents provided information on
the use of 137 plant taxa, corresponding to approximately 6% of the
native and naturalized vascular plants of Estonia. According to use frequency, the most typical wild food plant of Estonia
is a fruit, eaten raw as a snack. The results clearly signal that the
majority of famine and food shortage plants had already been forgotten
by the end of the 20th century, but new plants have been
introduced as green vegetables for making salads. Despite changes in the
nomenclature of the plants, the use of wild food plants in Estonia was still thriving at the turn of the 20th century, covering many domains already forgotten in urbanized modern Europe. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London.
Author keywords
Changes in wild food use; Childhood memories; Ethnobotany; Food culture; Foraging; Free listing; Wild edible plants; Wild fruits; Wild snacks
Indexed keywords
GEOBASE Subject Index: edible species; education; ethnobotany; nomenclature; questionnaire survey; taxonomy; wild population
Regional Index: Estonia
Species Index: Tracheophyta
ISSN: 00244074
CODEN: BJLSASource Type: Journal
Original language: English
DOI: 10.1111/boj.12051Document Type: Article
