Traditional food and herbal uses of wild plants in the ancient South-Slavic diaspora of Mundimitar/Montemitro (Southern Italy)

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

Andrea Pieroni⁴  Sulejman Redžić²  Cassandra L Quave³  Łukasz Jakub Łuczaj¹  Alessandro di Tizio⁴ 

[1] Department of Ecotoxicology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Werynia 502, 36-100, Kolbuszowa, Poland;Centre of Ecology and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, 33-35 Zmaja od Bosne St., 71 000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina;Center for the Study of Human Health, Emory University, 550 Asbury Circle, Candler Library 107, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 9, I-12060, Pollenzo Cuneo, Italy

关键词: Molise;    Molise-Slavic;    Montemitro;    Wild food plants;    Ethnobotany;   

Others  :  862908
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-4269-8-21

 received in 2012-05-02, accepted in 2012-05-24,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

In Europe, only a limited number of cross-cultural comparative field studies or meta-analyses have been focused on the dynamics through which folk plant knowledge changes over space and time, while a few studies have contributed to the understanding of how plant uses change among newcomers. Nevertheless, ethnic minority groups and/or linguistic “isles” in Southern and Eastern Europe may provide wonderful arenas for understanding the various factors that influence changes in plant uses.

Methods

A field ethnobotanical study was carried out in Mundimitar (Montemitro in Italian), a village of approx. 450 inhabitants, located in the Molise region of South-Eastern Italy. Mundimitar is a South-Slavic community, composed of the descendants of people who migrated to the area during the first half of the 14^th century, probably from the lower Neretva valley (Dalmatia and Herzegovina regions). Eighteen key informants (average age: 63.7) were selected using the snowball sampling technique and participated in in-depth interviews regarding their Traditional Knowledge (TK) of the local flora.

Results

Although TK on wild plants is eroded in Montemitro among the youngest generations, fifty-seven taxa (including two cultivated species, which were included due to their unusual uses) were quoted by the study participants. Half of the taxa have correspondence in the Croatian and Herzegovinian folk botanical nomenclature, and the other half with South-Italian folk plant names. A remarkable link to the wild vegetable uses recorded in Dalmatia is evident. A comparison of the collected data with the previous ethnobotanical data of the Molise region and of the entire Italian Peninsula pointed out a few uses that have not been recorded in Italy thus far: the culinary use of boiled black bryony (Tamus communis) shoots in sauces and also on pasta; the use of squirting cucumber ( Ecballium elaterium) juice for treating malaria in humans; the aerial parts of the elderberry tree ( Sambucus nigra) for treating erysipelas in pigs; the aerial parts of pellitory ( Parietaria judaica) in decoctions for treating haemorrhoids.

Conclusions

The fact that half of the most salient species documented in our case study – widely available both in Molise and in Dalmatia and Herzegovina – retain a Slavic name could indicate that they may have also been used in Dalmatia and Herzegovina before the migration took place. However, given the occurrence of several South-Italian plant names and uses, also a remarkable acculturation process affected the Slavic community of Montemitro during these last centuries. Future directions of research should try to simultaneously compare current ethnobotanical knowledge of both migrated communities and their counterparts in the areas of origin.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 di Tizio et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Leporatti ML, Ivancheva S: Preliminary comparative analysis of medicinal plants used in the traditional medicine of Bulgaria and Italy. J Ethnopharmacol 2003, 87(2–3):123-142.
• [2]Pieroni A, Quave CL: Traditional pharmacopoeias and medicines among Albanians and Italians in southern Italy: A comparison. J Ethnopharmacol 2005, 101(1–3):258-270.
• [3]Pieroni A, Giusti ME, de Pasquale C, Lenzarini C, Censorii E, Gonzales-Tejero MR, Sanchez-Rojas CP, Ramiro-Gutierrez JM, Skoula M, Johnson C, et al.: Circum-Mediterranean cultural heritage and medicinal plant uses in traditional animal healthcare: a field survey in eight selected areas within the RUBIA project. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2006, 2:16. BioMed Central Full Text
• [4]Gonzalez-Tejero MR, Casares-Porcel M, Sanchez-Rojas CP, Ramiro-Gutierrez JM, Molero-Mesa J, Pieroni A, Giusti ME, Censorii E, de Pasquale C, Della A, et al.: Medicinal plants in the Mediterranean area: synthesis of the results of the project Rubia. J Ethnopharmacol 2008, 116(2):341-357.
• [5]Hadjichambis A, Paraskeva-Hadjichambi D, Della A, Giusti ME, De Pasquale C, Lenzarini C, Censorii E, Gonzales-Tejero MR, Sanchez-Rojas CP, Ramiro-Gutierrez JM, et al.: Wild and semi-domesticated food plant consumption in seven circum-Mediterranean areas. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2008, 59(5):383-414.
• [6]Leporatti ML, Ghedira K: Comparative analysis of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in Italy and Tunisia. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2009, 5:31. BioMed Central Full Text
• [7]Soukand R, Kalle R: Change in medical plant use in Estonian ethnomedicine: a historical comparison between 1888 and 1994. J Ethnopharmacol 2011, 135(2):251-260.
• [8]Łuczaj Ł: Changes in the utilization of wild green vegetables in Poland since the 19th century: a comparison of four ethnobotanical surveys. J Ethnopharmacol 2010, 128(2):395-404.
• [9]Pieroni A, Muenz H, Akbulut M, Başer KHC, Durmuşkahya C: Traditional phytotherapy and trans-cultural pharmacy among Turkish migrants living in Cologne, Germany. J Ethnopharmacol 2005, 102(1):69-88.
• [10]Pieroni A, Houlihan L, Ansari N, Hussain B, Aslam S: Medicinal perceptions of vegetables traditionally consumed by South-Asian migrants living in Bradford, Northern England. J Ethnopharmacol 2007, 113(1):100-110.
• [11]Sandhu DS, Heinrich M: The use of health foods, spices and other botanicals in the sikh community in London. Phytother Res 2005, 19(7):633-642.
• [12]Yöney A, Prieto JM, Lardos A, Heinrich M: Ethnopharmacy of Turkish-speaking cypriots in greater London. Phytother Res 2010, 24(5):731-740.
• [13]Ceuterick M, Vandebroek I, Torry B, Pieroni A: Cross-cultural adaptation in urban ethnobotany: The Colombian folk pharmacopoeia in London. J Ethnopharmacol 2008, 120(3):342-359.
• [14]Pieroni A, Sheikh QZ, Ali W, Torry B: Traditional medicines used by Pakistani migrants from Mirpur living in Bradford, Northern England. Complement Ther Med 2008, 16(2):81-86.
• [15]Ceuterick M, Vandebroek I, Pieroni A: Resilience of Andean urban ethnobotanies: a comparison of medicinal plant use among Bolivian and Peruvian migrants in the United Kingdom and in their countries of origin. J Ethnopharmacol 2011, 136(1):27-54.
• [16]van Andel T, Westers P: Why Surinamese migrants in the Netherlands continue to use medicinal herbs from their home country. J Ethnopharmacol 2010, 127(3):694-701.
• [17]Pieroni A, Gray C: Herbal and food folk medicines of the Russlanddeutschen living in Künzelsau/Taläcker, South-Western Germany. Phytother Res 2008, 22(7):889-901.
• [18]Pieroni A, Giusti ME: Alpine ethnobotany in Italy: Traditional knowledge of gastronomic and medicinal plants among the Occitans of the upper Varaita valley, Piedmont. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2009, 5:32. BioMed Central Full Text
• [19]Caramiello Lomagno R, Rovera L, Lomagno PA, Piervittori R: La fitoterapia popolare nella Valle Maira. Annali della Facoltà di Scienze Agrarie dell'Università degli Studi di Torino 1982, XII:217-275.
• [20]Lomagno P, Lomagno Caramiello R: La fitoterapia popolare nella Valle di Susa. Allionia 1970, 16:165-174.
• [21]Caramiello Lomagno R, Piervittori R, Lomagno PA, Rolando C: Fitoterapia popolare nelle valli Chisone e Germanasca. Nota prima: Valle Germanasca e bassa Val Chisone. Annali della Facoltà di Scienze Agrarie dell'Università degli Studi di Torino 1984, XIII:259-298.
• [22]Pons G: Primo contributo alla flora popolare valdese. Bollettino della Società Botanica Italiana 1900, 101–108:216-222.
• [23]Musset D, Dore D: La mauve et l'erba bianca. Une introduction aux enquêtes ethnobotaniques suivie de l'inventaire des plantes utiles dans la vallée de la Stura. Un'introduzione alle indagini etnobotaniche seguita dall'inventario delle piante utili nella Valle della Stura. Mane, France: Musée départemental ethnologique de Haute-Provence, Salagon; 2006.
• [24]Chimenti Signorini R, Fumagalli M: Indagine etnofarmacobotanica nella Valtournanche (Valle d'Aosta). Webbia 1983, 37(1):69-94.
• [25]Denarier N: Venti erbe per stare bene. Piante medicinali della Valle d'Aosta. Gressan, Aosta, Italy: Edizioni Vida; 2006.
• [26]Lomagno P, Lomagno Caramiello R: La fitoterapia popolare della Valle del Sangone. Bollettino SIFO 1977, 23:445-452.
• [27]Chiovenda-Bensi C: Piante medicinali nell'uso tradizionale della Valle d'Ossola. Atti dell'Accademia Ligure di Scienze e Lettere 1955, 11:32-52.
• [28]Chiovenda-Bensi C: Tradizioni e usi fitoterapici popolari. La Valsesia. Atti dell'Accademia Ligure di Scienze e Lettere 1957, 13:190-205.
• [29]Remogna M: Metodi tradizionali di cura a Rimella. De Valle Sicida 1993, 4:221-238.
• [30]Scarpa A, Steiger L, Donini D, Holznecht H, Poppi C: Etnomedicina comparata delle etnie ladine. Studi etno-antropologici e sociologici 1988, 16:37-64.
• [31]Poppi C: Medicina popolare in Val di Fassa: relazione di ricerca sul campo. Mondo Ladino 1989, XIII(3–4):287-326.
• [32]Scarpa A: Altri risultanze sulla medicina popolare in Val di Fassa. Mondo Ladino 1990, 3–4:257-270.
• [33]Barbini S, Tarascio M, Sacchetti G, Bruni A: Studio preliminare sulla etnofarmacologia delle comunità ladine dolomitiche. Informatore Botanico Italiano 1999, 31(1–3):181-182.
• [34]Cappelletti EM, Trevisan R, Folletto A, Cattolica PM: Le pinate utilizzate in medicina popolare in due vallate trentine: Val di Ledro e Val dei Mocheni. Studi Trentini di Scienze Naturali 1981, 58:119-140.
• [35]Zampiva F: Le principali erbe della famacopea cimbra. Cimbri-Tzimbar Vita e cultura delle comunità cimbre 1998, X(19):135-146.
• [36]Zampiva F: Róasan (Flora cimbra). I nomi dimenticati di erbe piante e fiori. Verona, Italy: Edizioni Curatorium Cimbricum Veronense; 2000.
• [37]Pieroni A, Giusti ME, Münz H, Lenzarini C, Turković G, Turković A: Ethnobotanical knowledge of the Istro-Romanians of Žejane in Croatia. Fitoterapia 2003, 74(7–8):710-719.
• [38]Pieroni A, Nebel S, Quave C, Munz H, Heinrich M: Ethnopharmacology of liakra: traditional weedy vegetables of the Arbereshe of the Vulture area in southern Italy. J Ethnopharmacol 2002, 81(2):165-185.
• [39]Pieroni A, Quave C, Nebel S, Heinrich M: Ethnopharmacy of the ethnic Albanians (Arbereshe) of northern Basilicata, Italy. Fitoterapia 2002, 73(3):217-241.
• [40]Quave CL, Pieroni A: Folk illness and healing in Arbëreshë Albanian and Italian communities of Lucania, Southern Italy. J Folklore Res 2005, 42:57-97.
• [41]Nebel S, Pieroni A, Heinrich M: Ta chorta: wild edible greens used in the Graecanic area in Calabria, Southern Italy. Appetite 2006, 47(3):333-342.
• [42]Nebel S, Heinrich M: Ta chòrta: A comparative ethnobotanical-linguistic study of wild food plants in a graecanic area in Calabria, Southern Italy. Econ Bot 2009, 63(1):78-92.
• [43]Maxia A, Lancioni MC, Balia AN, Alborghetti R, Pieroni A, Loi MC: Medical ethnobotany of the Tabarkins, a Northern Italian (Ligurian) minority in south-western Sardinia. Genet Resour Crop Ev 2008, 55(6):911-924.
• [44]Rešetar M: Die serbokroatischen Kolonien Süditaliens. Wien: Alfred Hölder; 1911.
• [45]AISEA: Codice Deontologico. http://www.aisea.it webcite
• [46]Pignatti S: Flora d'Italia. Bologna, Italy: Edagricole; 1997.
• [47]Committee TFEE: Flora Europaea on CD-ROM. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2001.
• [48]Šugar I: Hrvatski biljni imenoslov. Nomenclator botanicus Croaticus. Zagreb, Croatia: Matica Hrvatska; 2008.
• [49]Penzig O: Flora popolare italiana. Raccolta dei nomi dialettali delle principali piante indigene e coltivate in Italia. Genoa, Italy: Orto Botanico della Regia Università; 1924.
• [50]Manzi A: Le piante alimentari in Abruzzo. La flora spontanea dell'alimentazione umana. Chieti, Italy: Tinari; 1999.
• [51]Guarrera PM: Usi e tradizioni della flora italiana. Medicina popolare ed etnobotanica. Rome, Italy: Aracne; 2006.
• [52]Guarrera P, Lucchese F, Medori S: Ethnophytotherapeutical research in the high Molise region (Central-Southern Italy). J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2008, 4:7. BioMed Central Full Text
• [53]Motti R, Antignani V, Idolo M: Traditional plant use in the Phlegraean Fields Regional Park (Campania, Southern Italy). Hum Ecol 2009, 37(6):775-782.
• [54]Menale B, Amato G, Di Prisco C, Muoio R: Traditional uses of plants in North-Western Molise (Central Italy). Delpinoa 2006, 48:29-36.
• [55]Idolo M, Motti R, Mazzoleni S: Ethnobotanical and phytomedicinal knowledge in a long-history protected area, the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (Italian Apennines). J Ethnopharmacol 2010, 127(2):379-395.
• [56]Bakić J, Popović M: Nekonvencionalni izvori u ishrani na otocima i priobalju u toku NOR-a. Izd Mornaričkog glasnika 1983, 49-55.
• [57]Grlić L: Enciklopedija samoniklog jestivog bilja. Rijeka, Croatia: Ex Libris; 2005.
• [58]Ćurčić V: Narodne ribarstvo u Bosni i Hercegovini. Part 2. Glasnik Zemaljskog Muzeja u Bosni i Hercegovini 1913, 25:421-514.
• [59]Sardelić S: Samoniklo jestivo bilje – mišanca, gruda, parapač. Etnološka istraživanja 2008, 1(12/13):387-396.
• [60]Istrianet.org: Fritade - Fritaje - Omelets. Ostaria Istriana. http://www.istrianet.org/istria/gastronomy/osteria/fritade.htm webcite
• [61]Tomei PE, Lippi A, Uncini Manganelli RE: L’uso delle specie vegetali spontanee nella preparazione delle zuppe di magro in Lucchesia (LU). Funghi, tartufi ed erbe mangerecce: 1995; L'Aquila, Italy 1995, 243-248.
• [62]Camangi F, Stefani A: Le tradizioni phytoalimurgiche in Toscana: le piante selvatiche nella preparazione delle zuppe. Rivista di Preistoria, Etnografia e Storia naturale, Istituto Storico Lucchese 2004, 2(1):7-17.