Table 1.
Wild edible plants commonly consumed according to focus group discussions, Sidi Bouzid governorate, Tunisia, 2014
| Botanical family | Scientific name | Vernacular name | English name | Plant part consumed | Period of availability | Consumption mode/preparations | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliaceae | Allium baeticum Boiss. | korath | wild leek | leaves, bulb, flowers | January to March | kesra bread, couscous, kneff, stuffed tripe | abundance decreasing |
| Allium roseum L. | yazoul, gazoul, azoul | wild garlic | leaves, bulb | November to April | couscous, kneff *, rice dish, kesra † bread | abundance decreasing | |
| flowers | March and April | couscous, rice dish | |||||
| Amaranthaceae | Beta macrocarpa Guss. | selg arbi | wild swiss chard | leaves | December to March | couscous, stew, soup | abundance decreasing |
| Apiaceae | Anethum graveolens L. and | besbes arbi | dill and fennel | young leaves | February to June | kneff, couscous, rice dish, stuffed tripe | wild and semi-domesticated |
| Foeniculum vulgare Mill. | seeds | June | bsissa ‡, infusion | abundance increasing | |||
| Asphodeliaceae | Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav. | tazia | onionweed | leaves | December to March | couscous | |
| Asteraceae | Centaurea bimorpha Viv. | boulaâlaâ, b’laâlaâ | leaves | December to April | couscous, kneff | abundance decreasing | |
| Cynara cardunculus L. | khorchof | wild cardoon | leaf petiole and rachis | all year | couscous, stew | abundance stable | |
| Launaea quercifolia L. and | zarset azouza | leaves | January to March | raw | abundance decreasing | ||
| Launaea nudicaulis L. | |||||||
| Onopordum arenarium (Desf.) Pomel and | bokk | cotton thistle | collar, stalk | November to August | couscous, stew | abundance stable | |
| Silybum eburneum Coss. & Durieu | milk thistle | capitulum | raw | ||||
| seeds | bsissa | ||||||
| Scolymus hispanicus Desf. | bouhaliba, holliba | Spanish oyster thistle | base of stem | December to March | couscous, stew | abundance decreasing | |
| Scorzonera undulata subsp. undulata Vahl | chtel, guiz | leaves | January to March | raw, couscous, kneff | |||
| flowers | April and May | raw | |||||
| guiz | fleshy root | March to June | raw | ||||
| Sonchus oleraceus L. | tifef | common sow thistle | leaves, young stalks | January to March | raw | ||
| Brassicaceae | Brassica tournefortii Gouan. | lebsen | Asian mustard | young leaves | December to March | raw, couscous, kneff | |
| Diplotaxis erucoides L. and | harra | wall-rocket | leaves | September to April | couscous, stew, kneff, soup, salad (raw) | ||
| Diplotaxis harra Forssk. and | |||||||
| Diplotaxis muralis subsp. simplex L. | |||||||
| Chenopodiaceae | Atriplex halimus L. | g’taf | Mediterranean saltbush | leaves | winter and spring | couscous, kneff | |
| Malvaceae | Malva aegyptia L. | khobizza | malva | leaves | December to April | stew | |
| Pinaceae | Pinus halepensis Mill. | zgougou | Aleppo pine seeds | seeds | November to April | assida dessert | wild and domesticated |
| Polygonaceae | Rumex roseus var. eu tingitanus L. | homidha (jbal) | dock | leaves | January to May | raw | |
| Rumex roseus var. lacirus L. | homidha | ||||||
| Rhamnaceae | Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam. | n’bag | jujube | fruit (drupe) | August and September | raw (fresh or dried) |
*
kneff is a vegetarian couscous where the vegetable is mixed with the semolina.
†
kesra is a traditional flatbread made with durum wheat.
‡
bsissa is a mixture of cereals (usually ground durum wheat) and legumes with spices (fennel, fenugreek or cumin seeds), used as a beverage (with water or milk, and sugar or honey) or as a paste (with added olive oil).