Edible wild plant use in the Faroe Islands and Iceland

Svanberg, Ingvar; Ægisson, Sigurður

doi:10.5586/asbp.2012.035

Cited by 32 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In the modern world, the gathering of wild food plants is still relevant for many agricultural and huntergatherer societies (Turner et al, 2011), and even for some communities in Europe (Nebel, Pieroni & Heinrich, 2006;Menendez-Baceta et al, 2012;Mustafa et al, 2012;Pieroni et al, 2012). Yet, it is considered a kind of diminishing knowledge, being held only by the older generation (Pardo-de-Santayana, Pieroni & Puri, 2010), and mostly accessible through archival or ethnographic sources or analysis of historical literature (Łuczaj & Szymań ski, 2007;Łuczaj, 2008Dénes et al, 2012;Svanberg, 2012;Svanberg & AEgisson, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild plants eaten in childhood: a retrospective of Estonia in the 1970s-1990s

Kalle

Sõukand

2013

Bot J Linn Soc

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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, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 172, 239–253.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild plants eaten in childhood: a retrospective of Estonia in the 1970s-1990s

Kalle

Sõukand

2013

Bot J Linn Soc

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“…Wild animal taxa in the local cuisine have been discussed; although my research has centred specifically on ethnozoological issues, plant knowledge data have also been collected [ 28 , 29 ]. Edible wild plants, however, played a minor role in the traditional diet (and even less nowadays) of the islanders [ 30 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ræstur fiskur: air-dried fermented fish the Faroese way

Svanberg

2015

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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BackgroundFish has played an important role in the diet of the population of the mid-Atlantic Faroe Islands. Dried and fermented fish in particular have been an essential storable protein source in an economy where weather conditions and seasonal fluctuations affect the availability of food. For generations the islanders have prepared ræstur fiskur, a home-made air-dried and fermented fish dish made of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) or saithe (Pollachius virens (L.)). Fermenting the fish is an efficient and valuable cultural strategy for preserving fish.MethodsThis ethnobiological study investigates the historical and present use of fermented fish in Faroese cuisine and examines its preservation as an everyday food that Faroese men pride themselves on making in high quality. This study is based on field notes collected through interviews and observations on the Faroe Islands since the mid-1990s.ResultsProcessed fish could be stored for a long period of time; this was important in an economy where weather conditions and seasonal fluctuations affect food availability dramatically. For this reason, home-made air-dried fish has been central to the food security of the Faroese people. Usually consumed with tallow from sheep, the dish was once appreciated customarily on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, but has been largely replaced by Danish dishes. However, it has survived as everyday food until today.ConclusionThe presence of small-scale fishing, changing economic conditions, socially acquired taste-preferences, and the importance of old-fashioned dishes as key symbols of cultural identity, all contribute to the survival of ræstur fiskur in Faroese food culture. Today, the dish is not only an essential food source, but its consumption is also an important act of identification and solidarity with the national identity of the islanders.

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“…in Southern Europe appears to be much more common compared to that of Central and Northern Europe, both regarding the number of taxa used and the extent of historical use (Łuczaj and Szymanski, 2007;Svanberg, 2012;Svanberg and AEgisson, 2012).…”

Section: Ethnobotanical Surveys and More Recent Use Of Flowersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are wild and cultivated flowers served in restaurants or sold by local producers in Denmark safe for the consumer?

Pedersen

Olesen

Eriksen

et al. 2018

Food and Chemical Toxicology

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New Nordic Food has within the last decade received much media coverage with chefs of top restaurants using wild plants for foods. As part of a control campaign, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration visited 150 restaurants and local food producers from May-October 2016 and investigated their use of plants picked from the wild, cultivated in private gardens or market gardens. Among the species used were the flowers from 23 plants. Here we present a safety evaluation of these flowers based on published phytochemical investigations and toxicological data in humans, farm animals, pets, or experimental animals. Of the 23 flowers reviewed, nine contained compounds with toxic or potentially toxic effects if eaten, two contained unidentified toxic compound(s), and four were flowers from plants with potentially toxic compounds present in other plant parts or related species. Many of the flowers may be considered novel, since a use to a significant degree in Europe prior to 15 May 1997 before Regulation (EC) 258/97 on novel food and novel food ingredients came into force could not be established. In conclusion, this review illuminates a striking lack of chemical and toxicological data of many of the proposed wild or cultivated flowers for food use.

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Edible wild plant use in the Faroe Islands and Iceland

Cited by 32 publications

References 17 publications

Wild plants eaten in childhood: a retrospective of Estonia in the 1970s-1990s

Wild plants eaten in childhood: a retrospective of Estonia in the 1970s-1990s

Ræstur fiskur: air-dried fermented fish the Faroese way

Are wild and cultivated flowers served in restaurants or sold by local producers in Denmark safe for the consumer?

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