title: Wild and semi-domesticated food plant consumption in seven circum-Mediterranean areas.
abstract: The use of local Mediterranean food plants is at the brink of disappearance. Even though there is relatively abundant information on inventories of wild edible taxa, there is also a crucial need to understand how these plants are consumed and when and how these consumption phenomena change over time and place around the Mediterranean. Additionally, it is important to study such knowledge systems and find innovative ways of infusing them to the future Mediterranean generations. During the years 2003-2006 a circum-Mediterranean ethnobotanical field survey for wild food plants was conducted in selected study sites in seven Mediterranean areas (European Union-funded RUBIA Project). Structured and semi-structured questionnaires have been administered to indigenous people and 294 wild food plant taxa were documented in the survey. A comparative analysis of the data was undertaken showing that the quantity and quality of traditional knowledge varies among the several study areas and is closely related to the traditions, environment and cultural heritage of each country. More similarities of wild edible popular use were revealed between the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Mediterranean.
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus. a.chadjihambi@cytanet.com.cy
authors.forename: Andreas Ch
authors.initials: ACh
authors.lastname: Hadjichambis
authors.forename: Demetra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paraskeva-Hadjichambi
authors.forename: Athena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Della
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Giusti
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Pasquale
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lenzarini
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Censorii
authors.forename: Maria Reyes
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Gonzales-Tejero
authors.forename: Cristina Patricia
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Rojas
authors.forename: Jose M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ramiro-Gutierrez
authors.forename: Melpomeni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skoula
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Anaya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarpaki
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hmamouchi
authors.forename: Said
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jorhi
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Demerdash
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Zayat
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pieroni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044822:Biodiversity; D004034:Diet Surveys; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D019448:Ethnobotany / Q000379:methods; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010945:Plants, Edible