When doing research on edible wild plants, I have to dive into many disciplines to find what I am looking for: ethnobotany, cultural foodways, nutrient content, nutritional biochemistry, nutritional toxicology, dendrology, chemical composition, pharmacognosy, economic botany, plant morphology, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, weed science—you name it. And while I mostly do my work outside of academia, I think it is appropriate that someone should at least propose an academic-style Greekified label for scholars doing research in this area.
After all, our ancestors all over the world have depended on wild foods since the beginning of human existence. Many people in Africa, South America, and the Mediterranean still get a substantial proportion of their diet from wild plants. The now-famous Mediterranean diet included most of the wild greens covered in this book. To this day, the inhabitants of small Greek villages eat plenty of wild foods.
In addition to defining edible wild plants in another part of this book, I propose the following label to describe the study of this field: agriotrophytology. It comes from my understanding of the Greek roots of words I extracted from other definitions in the Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (1971) and the English-Greek lexicon at www.kypros.org. Since I am not a professional lexicographer, it may need refining by someone who knows what they are doing. But I think it will work in its own esoteric way. Here are the roots of agriotrophytology:
| agrio means “wild” or “untamed,” from the Greek word agrio. |
| troph means “food” or “nutriment,” from the Greek word troph. |
| phyto means “plant,” from the Greek word phyto. |
| logy means “the treatment or discourse of a particular field,” often called “the study of,” from the Greek word logia. |
As name alternatives, I tried agriotrophphytology, including the extra “ph” and switched the terms around for trophagriophytology, but I was not pleased with either one.
Someone who studies wild food plants or its synonym phrase “edible wild plants” would be an agriotrophytologist.
Historical agriotrophytology involves the study of the written record related to edible wild plants. Both scientific and lay literatures contribute information about wild food uses and foodways.
Nutritional agriotrophytology involves nutrient analysis of wild foods and the roles those nutrients and other chemicals play in human nutrition.
Ethnographic agriotrophytology involves the documentation of traditional wild foodways through observational and interview techniques. This describes in detail what is done by individuals or groups in the context of their situations and lives using established ethnographic methods.
Quantitative agriotrophytology involves the evaluation of the use and management of edible wild plant resources by individuals and groups. This examines the practices and dynamics involved to manage adequate sustainable harvests over time in different ecosystems. This can be for natural and intensified situations.
Experimental agriotrophytology involves testing procedures and methods for gathering, transporting, processing, preserving, and cooking wild foods. Those procedures and methods can be innovative (new/invented by the experimenter) or based on accurate or best-guess accounts of cultural foodways.
Botanical agriotrophytology involves the overlapping edibility between related species, as well as how morphology and physiology at different stages of growth affect edibility.
Culinary agriotrophytology involves the science and art of turning wild plants into food. This includes combining foods, managing flavors and textures, and inventing recipes.
Agricultural agriotrophytology involves the technology necessary to domesticate, grow, harvest and transport wild foods to markets.