The Renaissance of Wild Food Plants: Insights from Tuscany (Italy)

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of wild food plants traditionally used in the gastronomy of Tuscany, an Italian region with high biological diversity and whose cultural heritage is well known. Forty-nine bibliographic sources, including five unpublished studies, were reviewed. A list of species with ecological characteristics, plant parts used, use category (food, liquor, or seasoning), methods of preparation (raw or cooked), and recipes is presented. The use of 357 taxa (3711 use reports, URs), was recorded, belonging to 215 genera and 72 botanical families. Over the total taxa, 12 are new for Tuscany, 52 seem not to be present in other Italian regions, and 54 were not detected in the consulted European ethnobotanical literature. Of these taxa, 324 (3117 URs) were used as food, while 49 (178 URs) and 81 (416 URs) were used for liquor and seasoning, respectively. Of the 17 different food recipes, cooked vegetables constituted the largest group, followed by salads, omelets, snacks, and fillings. The chemical composition of the recorded food plants and the possible safety risks associated to their consumption, as well as their traditional medicinal use, are also shown. This review highlights the richness of ethnobotanical knowledge in Tuscany. Such biocultural heritage can be a “source of inspiration” for agriculture. As a reservoir of potential new crops, wild edible flora may contribute to the development of emerging horticultural sectors such as vertical farming and microgreens production. Moreover, the nutrient content and healthy properties of many wild food plants reported in this study has the ability to meet consumer demand for functional foods.

Traditional Knowledge Evolution over Half of a Century: Local Herbal Resources and Their Changes in the Upper Susa Valley of Northwest Italy

“… Their roles in shaping ethnic foods and beverages and in creating new sustainable opportunities for the local economy have been highlighted [ 56 ]. In the context of increasing food-tourism and the growing demand for local specialty foods and cuisine [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ], wild plants and herbs may have potential in terms of distinguishing the local foodscape and its associated cuisine. This offers local actors the opportunity to support the continuation of food traditions and heritage through ad hoc projects in the restaurant industry and gastronomic-tourism sector, including ecotourism, with local-food-based and avant-garde restaurants focusing on the revitalization of Alpine gastronomy.…”

Promotion of Wild Food Plant Use Diversity in the Soviet Union, 1922–1991

“…Most wild plants were consumed in processed form (cooked or baked), accounting for 28.8% of all plants ( Figure 4 ). Parts of wild plants are often processed before consumption to improve their taste or to make them edible [ 2 ]. In addition, according to several authors [ 31 , 40 ], correct processing eliminates the toxic properties of plants by reducing or breaking down unwanted chemical substances.…”

“…Wild food plants (generally considered species that grow spontaneously in self-sustaining populations outside cultivated areas and used for nutrition) have been and still are a part of local diets all over the world [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. While in the modern world, especially in industrialized parts, wild food plants have shifted to the periphery of food systems, though they still constitute a reservoir of healthy food, especially when food supplies are disrupted [ 4 ].…”

Alpine Diet in Valmalenco (Lombardy, Italy): Nutritional Features of Spontaneous Plants and Traditional Dishes

“…Finally, considering the ability of some wild species, such as some Rumex spp. and some Taraxacum spp., to hyperaccumulate heavy metals from the soil [66], further analyses regarding this issue might be interesting. T. officinale (TA), U. dioica (UR), R. acetosa (RA), S. vulgaris (SI), A. dioicus (AS), B. bonus-henricus (BB).…”