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. 2020 Jul 29;9(8):1015.
doi: 10.3390/foods9081015.

Foraging in Boreal Forest: Wild Food Plants of the Republic of Karelia, NW Russia

Valeria Kolosova  1   2 , Olga Belichenko  1 , Alexandra Rodionova  3 , Denis Melnikov  4 , Renata Sõukand  1
Affiliations

Foraging in Boreal Forest: Wild Food Plants of the Republic of Karelia, NW Russia

Valeria Kolosova et al. Foods. .

Abstract

While the current consumption of wild food plants in the taiga of the American continent is a relatively well-researched phenomenon, the European taiga area is heavily underrepresented in the scientific literature. The region is important due to its distinctive ecological conditions with restricted seasonal availability of wild plants. During an ethnobotanical field study conducted in 2018-2019, 73 people from ten settlements in the Republic of Karelia were interviewed. In addition, we conducted historical data analysis and ethnographical source analysis. The most widely consumed wild food plants are forest berries (three Vaccinium species, and Rubus chamaemorus), sap-yielding Betula and acidic Rumex. While throughout the lifetime of the interviewees the list of used plants did not change considerably, the ways in which they are processed and stored underwent several stages in function of centrally available goods, people's welfare, technical progress, and ideas about the harm and benefit of various products and technological processes. Differences in the food use of wild plants among different ethnic groups living in the region were on the individual level, while all groups exhibited high variability in the methods of preparation of most used berries. The sustainability of berry use over time has both ecological and economical factors.

Keywords: Karelia; Local Ecological Knowledge; Nordic studies; boreal forest; ethnobotany; wild food plants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
List of fieldwork sites: (1) Petrozavodsk, Zaozer’e, Lekhnavolok, Novaya Vilga; (2) Priazha; (3) Essoila, Korza, Rubchoila, Siamozero; (4) Kalevala. Map base: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/BlankMap-Europe-v4.png.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Alluvial diagram showing the relationships between foods made and taxa based on DURs during the lifetime of interviewees.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Alluvial diagram reflecting changes in use during the lifetime of interviewees.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A page from the menu of the restaurant Karel’skaia gornitsa, Petrozavodsk. The second item on the menu: ‘Berries mixed with tolokno. Bilberries, cowberries. Tolokno for this dish is prepared in a special mortar following an old recipe and only in the mornings so that it good at producing high spirits’.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Alluvial diagram illustrating the distribution of plants and uses among the three groups.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Plant uses in the three groups during the lifetime.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Categories in which theoretically edible wild plants can be used according to [81] and the proportion of the plants recommended in his study against the ones used by our interviewees.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Wooden ‘kombains’ in Ethnographic museum of rune singers, Kalevala.
Figure 9
Figure 9
An advertisement about a berry receiving inspector job vacancy for 2018 season, Kalevala. Translation: ‘For the season of 2018 a berry receiving inspector job position is open. Tel. xxx-xx-xx. -job contract, -decent salary; -additional payment in function of volume; -mutually beneficial conditions, long-term collaboration; -attractive conditions for the customer base (a system of bonuses, prizes and gifts)’.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Cranberry, raspberry and black currant jams sold in a convenience store, Petrozavodsk.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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