Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition in Syria
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  • Release Date: 2022-03-21
  • Eastern Mediterranean
  • emergency human behavior
  • ethnobotany
  • Sleeq
  • traditional food
  • Zaatar
Video Introduction

This video is adapted from 10.3390/foods11020177

Wild food plants (WFPs) have been an important source of human nutrition since ancient times, and it particularly revives when conventional food is not available due to emergency situations, such as natural disasters and conflicts. The war in Syria has entered 10 years since it started in 2011, and it has caused the largest war-related crises since World War II. Nearly 60% of the Syrian population (12.4 million people) are food-insecure. WFPs are already culturally important in the region, and may be supplementing local diets during this conflict. The study aimed to uncover the conflict’s effect on the use of WFPs and to know what species are consumed by local people during the current crisis. The fieldwork was carried out between March 2020 and March 2021 in the Tartus governorate located in the coastal region of Syria. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 participants (26 women and 24 men) distributed in 26 villages along the study area. Researchers recorded the vernacular names, uses, plant parts used, modes of preparation and consumption, change in WFP use before and during the conflict, and informants’ perceptions towards WFPs. Researchers documented 75 wild food plant species used for food and drink. Almost two-thirds (64%) of informants reported an increase in their reliance on wild plants as a food source during the conflict. The species of Origanum syriacum, Rhus coriaria, Eryngium creticum, and Cichorium intybus were among the most quoted species by informants. Sleeq (steamed leafy vegetables), Zaatar (breakfast/dinner food), and Louf (soup) were the most popular wild plant-based dishes.

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Sulaiman, N.; Pieroni, A.; Sõukand, R.; Polesny, Z. Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition in Syria. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/video/video_detail/228 (accessed on 15 November 2024).
Sulaiman N, Pieroni A, Sõukand R, Polesny Z. Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition in Syria. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/video/video_detail/228. Accessed November 15, 2024.
Sulaiman, Naji, Andrea Pieroni, Renata Sõukand, Zbynek Polesny. "Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition in Syria" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/video/video_detail/228 (accessed November 15, 2024).
Sulaiman, N., Pieroni, A., Sõukand, R., & Polesny, Z. (2022, March 21). Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition in Syria. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/video/video_detail/228
Sulaiman, Naji, et al. "Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition in Syria." Encyclopedia. Web. 21 March, 2022.
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