Survey of wild food plants for human consumption in villages of Catak (Van-Turkey)

This study aims to record accumulation of knowledge on plants which are used as food by native people of Catak (Van, Turkey) that has a rich culture and a very natural environment. In addition, the medical uses of these plants were compiled from the literature. Study area was located on the East of Anatolian diagonal, in the Eastern Anatolia Region. Field study was carried out over a period of approximately two years (2010-2012). During this period, 82 vascular plant taxa were collected. The plants were pressed in the field and prepared for identification. A total of 82 food plants belonging to 28 families were identified in the region. In the study being conducted, use of wild plants as food points out interest of people in Catak in wild plants. The fact that a large proportion of edible plants are also being used for medicinal purposes indicates that the use of wild plants has a high potential in the region. The present study shows that further ethnobotanical investigations are worthy to be carried out in Turkey, where most of knowledge on popular food plants are still to discover. In Turkey, the number of ethnobotanic studies is ever-increasing. However, traditional uses of many wild plants have not been recorded yet. In terms of food safety, the adverse effects that may arise due to the use of wild plants without sufficient knowledge must be reported to the native people.