Wild Edible Plants of Mersin (Turkey) and Their Gastronomic Usage Types

Abstract

It has been demonstrated by many studies to date that more used to plant foods in terms of nutrition is great importance in terms of health. Antioxidant content of plants plays an important role in the prevention or treatment of oxidative stress-related health problems that threaten human health, such as cancer, cholesterol and diabetes. Turkey has a rich plant diversity with the characteristics of its geography. Plants that grow in nature without human intervention and are consumed as food are called 'edible wild plants' and the gastronomic evaluation of edible herbs is mostly limited to the local people living in rural areas. The ways of use, cooking methods and presentation of wild herbs, which are called with different names in different regions, also differ according to the region. It is important to promote the consumption and sustainability of wild plants, which have a very important place in terms of health, to transfer our cultural heritage from generation to generation and to contribute to local gastronomy tourism. In this study, edible herbs consumed in Mersin were determined by interviewing local people from local bazaars and district villages. As a result of the research, 33 different edible herbs were identified. These herbs can be used raw and cooked, in pies, salads, meals, etc. by determining how they were consumed, prescriptions were prepared in line with this information, and dishes were made from the obtained herbs and photographed.