A study on ethnobotany of food and nutrition from wild plants (Case study: Sefid Cheshmeh village, Golestan province)

Indigenous knowledge systems of human livelihood in various fields, all born out of the effort for sustainable living in the environment, are highlighted. The documentation and collection of this knowledge is often the responsibility of ethnographers. One important area in ethnographic research is the documentation of indigenous knowledge in the preparation of food using various plants in their habitats. Therefore, given the diverse effective practices in the preparation of indigenous foods from wild plants and the fading of associated indigenous knowledge in recent civilization acceleration, it is essential for ethnobotanists to document this valuable knowledge. In this study, the focus was on the study of edible plants and the methods of cooking various foods using them in the Sefid Cheshmeh village of Golestan province.

This study is of ethnographic nature, and the method of selecting participants or samples has been purposeful sampling, which continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The data for this research were obtained through open and semi-structured interviews, and efforts were made to gather information through participatory observation as well. Regarding participatory observation, it is necessary to mention that researchers were involved and participated in the collection of plants, preparation, and cooking in a way.

The results showed that local communities use different parts and products of plants for various nutritional and medicinal purposes, sometimes using food as medicine. In this study, 19 local foods that were prepared from plants by indigenous people were identified and examined. Among them, 11 foods were purely for nutritional purposes, and 8 foods had both medicinal and nutritional uses. Additionally, it was found that indigenous people cook special foods for occasions or specific seasons. The foods are as simple as possible and cooked quickly for family members to meet their physical needs. Given that food and its cooking methods are among the most important intangible cultural heritages and endangered among human societies, these studies can play a crucial role in preserving cultural and biological diversity..