Waheed Muhammad, Haq Shiekh Marifatul, Arshad Fahim, Bussmann Rainer W, Pieroni Andrea, Mahmoud Eman A, Casini Ryan, Yessoufou Kowiyou, Elansary Hosam O
Department of Botany, University of Okara, Okara 56300, Pakistan.
Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, 0162 Tbilisi, Georgia.
Biology (Basel). 2023 Feb 8;12(2):269. doi: 10.3390/biology12020269.
Wild edible food plants (WFPs) are valuable resources in the traditional food systems of many local cultures worldwide, particularly in underdeveloped regions. Understanding patterns of food preferences requires conducting cross-cultural food studies among various ethnic groups in a specific area. In this context, the current study aimed to record WFP use among five ethnic groups in Punjab, Pakistan, by interviewing 175 informants selected through snowball sampling. The indicator food species for different ethnic groups were calculated using indicator analysis based on the percentage of citations. A total of 71 wild food plants (WFPs) belonging to 57 genera and 27 families were observed in the study area. A high proportion of these wild food plants (WFPs) belonged to Fabaceae with eleven species (15%), followed by Moraceae with seven species (9%). Fruits were most widely used (43%), followed by leaves (19%), and shoots (16%). The majority (35 species, 49%) of plants of WFPs were eaten as cooked vegetables. A cross-cultural comparison revealed that four species overlapped among five ethnic groups (Arain, Jutt, Rajpot, Mewati, and Dogar). The Arain ethnic group gathered and consumed a remarkable number of wild plants (35 species), possibly due to a special connection with the general abundance of the local flora, and being close to nature by adopting professions more allied to WFPs in the study area. The analysis of indicator species revealed distinct significant indicator values ( ≤ 0.05) between the main food species among the various ethnic groups. was a common indicator of food in all five ethnic groups, while was a common indicator food plant of the Mewati, Rajpot, and Jutt ethnic groups; these plants are important in local diets, especially during times of food scarcity brought on by disease or drought. In addition, the current study reports 20 WFPs that have been rarely documented as human food in Pakistan's ethnobotanical literature. Future development plans should consider biocultural heritage and pay appropriate attention to local ecological knowledge, dynamics, and historical exchanges of traditional food systems.
野生可食用植物是全球许多地方文化传统食物系统中的宝贵资源，尤其是在欠发达地区。了解食物偏好模式需要在特定地区的不同族群中开展跨文化食物研究。在此背景下，本研究旨在通过采访175名通过滚雪球抽样法选取的 informant，记录巴基斯坦旁遮普邦五个族群对野生可食用植物的利用情况。基于引用百分比，使用指示分析计算不同族群的指示食物种类。研究区域共观察到71种野生可食用植物，分属57属27科。这些野生可食用植物中很大一部分属于豆科，有11种（15%），其次是桑科，有7种（9%）。果实的使用最为广泛（43%），其次是叶子（19%）和嫩枝（16%）。大多数野生可食用植物（35种，49%）被作为煮熟的蔬菜食用。跨文化比较显示，五个族群（阿rain族、朱特族、拉杰波特族、梅瓦蒂族和多加尔族）中有四种植物重叠。阿rain族采集和食用了大量野生植物（35种），这可能是由于与当地植物群的普遍丰富存在特殊联系，并且通过在研究区域从事与野生可食用植物更相关的职业而亲近自然。指示物种分析揭示了不同族群主要食物种类之间明显的显著指示值（≤0.05）。 是所有五个族群食物的常见指示物，而 是梅瓦蒂族、拉杰波特族和朱特族的常见指示食物植物；这些植物在当地饮食中很重要，尤其是在疾病或干旱导致食物短缺的时候。此外，本研究报告了20种在巴基斯坦民族植物学文献中很少被记载为人类食物的野生可食用植物。未来的发展计划应考虑生物文化遗产，并适当关注当地生态知识、传统食物系统的动态和历史交流。
