Culture and environment in the Sierra de Misantla, Veracruz, Mexico: the case of Oecopetalum mexicanum

Abstract

We analyze the cultural and environmental dimensions of foraging the wild edible fruit cachichín (Oecopetalum mexicanum) in the Sierra de Misantla in central Veracruz, Mexico, including gathering practices, social organization, subsistence, commerce, and consumption. Gathering cachichín brings together generations and genders in practices that provide amusement, as well as resources for economic income and personal consumption. Socialization during the gathering of cachichín renews and strengthens family bonds, friendships, and a sense of belonging. This study provides valuable insights for management, use and conservation of non-timber forest resources with biocultural roots.Cultura y ambiente en la Sierra de Misantla, Veracruz, México: el caso de Oecopetalum mexicanumSe analizaron las dimensiones cultural y ambiental de la recolección del fruto silvestre comestible (Oecopetalum mexicanum) de la Sierra de Misantla en el centro de Veracruz, México. Se describen las prácticas de recolección, la organización social, la subsistencia, el comercio y el consumo. Las prácticas de recolección del cachichín proporcionan diversión y reúnen diferentes generaciones de hombres y mujeres; el fruto es para consumo personal y su venta genera ingresos económicos. La socialización durante la recolección de cachichín renueva y fortalece los lazos familiares, de amistad y sentido de pertenencia. Este estudio proporciona información valiosa para el manejo, uso y conservación de los recursos forestales no maderables con raíces bioculturales.

Wild Edible Fruits: A Systematic Review of an Under-Researched Multifunctional NTFP (Non-Timber Forest Product)

“…Although riddled with gray areas over tenure and access, NTFP collection is increasingly observed in urban landscapes [171][172][173]. Land use planning in both rural and urban areas needs to take into account NTFP collection as an active land use contributing to provisioning [172,174] and cultural [15,175,176] services, and consider local land tenure allocation.…”

La semilla de cachichín (Oecopetalum mexicanum Greenm. & C.H. Thomps.): Fuente de nutrimentos y compuestos bioactivos

“…Fallen, diseased or old trees are used to produce fuelwood. From young and green branches, basket-shaped utensils are made for catching freshwater prawns (mainly Macrobrachium carcinus) in the Misantla river basin (Lascurain, López-Binnqüist, & Emery, 2016).…”

“…In the local commerce field, particularly in markets of the municipality of Misantla, Veracruz, Mexico, and surrounding places, the main product of cachichín sold is the seed contained within the fruit. Among the inhabitants and traditional medicine, potential hypoglycemic properties are known (Lascurain-Rangel, 2012), although there has been relatively little study about the nutraceutical composition and the profiles of active metabolites to combat this and other physiological disorders in humans. The aim of this work was to review the most important aspects about the scientific investigation around the cachichín cultivation,…”

“…En el ámbito del comercio local, especialmente en los mercados del municipio de Misantla, Veracruz, México, y lugares circunvecinos, el principal producto del cachichín que se vende, es la semilla que contiene el fruto. Entre los pobladores y la medicina tradicional, se habla de potenciales propiedades hipoglucemiantes (Lascurain-Rangel, 2012), aunque poco se ha estudiado la composición nutracéutica y los perfiles de metabolitos activos para combatir este y otros desórdenes fisiológicos en el ser humano. El objetivo de the biochemical and nutritional composition of the seed, as well as its pharmaceutical potential given the presence of natural bioactive compounds.…”

Systematics and phylogeny of Oecopetalum (Metteniusaceae), a genus of trees endemic to North and Central America

“…It is consumed at any time of the day, usually toasted and sometimes boiled. Sale represents an infrequement, temporary income for many families and is part of the local culture (Lascurain, López, & Zamora, 2009;Lascurain, López-Binnqüist, & Emery, 2016). Seeds of O. mexicanum contains high levels of protein (19.37 %) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (60.02 %).…”