Tag Archives: plants

More Adventures of Mungo Park, Who Describes Hunger Crops in the Western Sahel, 1797

Posted on 12/06/2013 by dianabuja

Mungo Park routinely describes foods and crops – as well as cooking and serving methods – throughout his extensive travels in west Africa.  His are amongst the most detailed sources on these topics for the late eighteenth and early nineteenth … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Africa-East, Africa-West, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Ethnobotanical knowledge of indigenous fruits in Northern Namibia

Posted on 24/05/2013 by dianabuja

Indigenous communities in Namibia [southwestern Africa] possess a rich indigenous knowledge expressed within many practices of these communities. Indigenous wild edible fruits are available, which form a rich source of vitamins, fibres, minerals and a heterogeneous collection of bioactive compounds referred to as … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Southern, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can You Identify These Plants from Ancient Egypt?

Posted on 11/04/2013 by dianabuja

Plants of all kinds were much beloved in ancient Egypt, and here is a selection  from tiles, tombs and wall inscriptions.  Can you identify them?  Over the next few days I will put up a blog giving their identity and function … Continue reading →

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Posted in Agriculture, Agroforestry, Egypt-Ancient, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Nutsedge – perhaps the oldest managed ‘weed’ in Predynastic Egypt

Posted on 24/03/2012 by dianabuja

Nutsedge is one of the oldest plants found in Egyptian predynastic sites that was used for food.  Its tubers continued to be used in historical times in Egypt, both as food, as well as in medications. Eric Danell has this … Continue reading →

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Posted in Egypt-Ancient, Food, Health, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Nile Valley, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments