a
Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
b Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria
b Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria
Abstract
Open markets are an
integral part of urban areas that provide a means for intense sharing of
knowledge and practices about plants among people from different social
groups and different cultural and geographical origins. This study
focuses on the diversity of wild plants found in open markets in urban
areas on both sides of the Bulgarian-Turkish border, sold as food and
plants for prevention, treatment and healing. Information was collected
from open markets by free-listed observations and semi-structured
interviews in border regions of Southern and South-eastern Bulgaria
(Bg) and Northwestern Turkey (Tr). The present investigation was
carried out through 2011-2013. A total of 41 wild plants belonging to 20
families were documented. In this study, two main groups of wild plants
were outlined: medicinal and edible, sold mostly as fresh fruits, dry
fruits, fresh aerial parts, preserved foods and mono-component herbal
teas. The specific use of plants in the border sub-regions can be
outlined as follows: as edible greens (Tr), as edible fruits (Bg), as
ready-prepared herbal mixtures
(Bg), as fresh herbs (Tr). Urtica urens (Tr) is a culturally distinctive
plant as well as use of edible greens mixture (Tr) and use of the wild
fruits for healthy and traditional food (Tr). Approximately 17% of the
plants were common and widely reported on both sides of the border: such
as Urtica dioica, Rumex patientia, Rumex acetosella, Cotinus coggygria,
Hypericum perforatum, Sideritis scardica (endemic), Rosa canina and
Tilia spp. © 2015, National Institute of Science Communication and
Information Resources (NISCAIR). All rights reserved.
Author keywords
Bulgaria; Ethnobotany; Medicinal plants; Open markets; Turkey; Wild edible
