The Renaissance of Wild Food Plants: Insights from Tuscany (Italy)

The paper provides a list of wild food plants traditionally used in the gastronomy of Tuscany, with information about their ecological characteristics, the plant parts used, the use categories (food, liquor, or seasoning), the methods of preparation (raw or cooked), and recipes. The chemical composition of the recorded food plants and the possible safety risks associated to their consumption, as well as their traditional medicinal use, are also shown. The paper highlights also that the ethnobotanical knowledge can be a “source of inspiration” for agriculturehe. In fact, as a reservoir of potential new crops, wild edible flora may contribute to the development of emerging horticultural sectors such as vertical farming and microgreens production. Moreover, the nutrient content and healthy properties of many wild food plants reported in this study has the ability to meet consumer demand for functional foods.