An Overview on the Human Exploitation of Sicilian Native Edible Plants

Sicily and its satellite islets host a rich vascular flora, including almost 3,000 native plant species and subspecies; in addition, due to its central position in the Mediterranean, the island has played and still plays a key-role in connecting both plant and human populations of neighbouring Mediterranean countries. The high plant biodiversity is due to a number of factors, such as geographical setting, geological history, soil-type diversity, bioclimatic variability and natural and human disturbance history. Among this flora, many plants, mostly herbs and sub-shrubs, have been used by local people since ancient times for various purposes, mainly as food and/or medicine. The long lasting history of exploitation, deeply permeated with the strong influence from external civilisations, has given rise to a rich inheritance of knowledge that indissolubly has bound biological and cultural (e.g. ethnic and/or linguistic) aspects, resulting in a remarkable bio-cultural diversity within the island territory. In the present chapter, we provide an updated list of Sicilian autochthonous edible plants, giving supplementary information on their vernacular names and uses, in addition to the eco-geography of some rare or endemic species. Emphasis is placed on some differences in plant naming and uses within the regional territory, probably due to different cultural influences, mostly deriving from Greek, Latin and Arab languages. Moreover, the local richness in wild relatives of food crops and the large number of food-medicines among locally gathered plants is highlighted. The study allowed for the identification of more than 250 wild edible plants that are known through an unexpectedly vast number of vernacular plant names and used in many preparations. This suggests an extremely complex and intriguing history of exploitation, quite afar to be acquainted. Moreover, it could significantly contribute to the conservation and valorisation of the rich bio-cultural inheritance of Sicily.