Famine Foods of Brazil's Seasonal Dry Forests: Ethnobotanical and Nutritional Aspects

• Published in: Economic botany 2012-03, Vol.66 (1), p.22-34
• Main Authors: do Nascimento, Viviany Teixeira, da Silva Vasconcelos, Maria Angélica, Maciel, Maria Inês Sucupira, Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Caatinga; Communities; Dioclea; Drought; Dry forests; Economic botany; Ethnobotany; Famine; Food security; Food shortages; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Life Sciences; Mandevilla; Manihot; Manihot glaziovii; Pilosocereus; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Ecology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Plants; Side effects; Species richness; Traditional foods
• ISSN: 0013-0001; 1874-9364
• DOI: 10.1007/s12231-012-9187-2

Famine foods are used by people in times of food scarcity. Although the northeast of Brazil regularly faces periods of drought that cause a shortage of traditional foods, the use of famine foods is insufficiently recorded. The purpose of this study was to record the knowledge of famine food in two rural Caatinga communities, Caräo and Cachoeira, in the states of Pernambuco and Paraiba, respectively, and to determine the chemical composition of the major famine foods utilized. The ethnobotanical aspect was divided into two stages: free lists and semistructured interviews. Based on the interviews, the main famine foods known by communities were selected for nutritional analysis. The study revealed that certain foods are used by communities only in times of shortages. Caräo showed a higher species richness than Cachoeira, but the food knowledge was more widespread among the interviewees in Cachoeira. In Caräo, the main species mentioned were Dioclea grandiflora and Manihot dichotoma, whereas in Cachoeira, Encholirium spectabile and Pilosocereus gounellei were the major species indicated. The species examined had a high carbohydrate content, especially D. grandiflora, Manihot glaziovii, and M. dichotoma, and could be used for complementary feeding of the population if adverse effects could be minimized. Mandevilla tenuiflora is indicated for future studies of potential agro-industrial applications and the beneficial aspects of its root, which could represent an alternative source of income for the population. Os alimentos emergenciais são aqueles que as pessoas consomem apenas em tempos de escassez de alimentos. Muito embora a populaçao da regiäo Nordeste do Brasil enfrente períodos de seca que provoca a falta dos alimentos oriundos da agricultura, o uso dos alimentos emergenciais é pouco registrado. O objetivo deste estudo foi registrar o conhecimento sobre alimentos emergenciais em duas comunidades rurais da Caatinga e determinar a composiçâo química dos principáis alimentos conhecidos. O estudo foi conduzido no municipio de Altinho, estado de Pernambuco e no municipio de Soledade, estado da Paraíba. O trabalho etnobotânico foi dividido em duas etapas: lista livre e entrevistas semi-estruturadas. Com base ñas entrevistas, selecionaram-se para a análise nutricional os principáis alimentos conhecidos pelas comunidades. O estudo revelou que as comunidades conhecem especies alimenticias consumidas apenas em períodos de escassez alimentar. Caräo tern maior conhec