ABSTRACT: In 2008-2012 a short ethnobotanical questionnaire concerning some wild food plants (the use of birch sap, Allium ursinum, Heracleum sphondylium and plants added to green borsch) was sent via email to five hundred Ukrainian botanists. Fifteen responses containing detailed answers were obtained. Birch sap is a commonly drunk beverage in Ukraine, however its use has diminished since the nuclear catastrophe in Chernobyl in 1986. Traditionally, the sap is not only drunk fresh but also fermented and kept in a cool and dark place even until late summer. The fermentation was enhanced by dried apples and pears as well as roasted barley. Nowadays lemon juice and/or raisins are commonly added as well. Ramsons (Allium ursinum) are commonly used to make a spring salad, with cream, mayonnaise and/or boiled eggs. However, it is rarely used in other forms (soup, lactofermented). The use of ramsons in Ukraine previously occurred only in some parts (Trans-Carpathia and Sumy region), but it has recently become popular, so large amounts of the plant are sold in some towns (e.g. Lviv), and also imported from other parts of the former USSR. Green borsch is a traditional Ukrainian soup made with wild greens, predominantly with sorrel (Rumex acetosa).
According to our questionnaire at least 21 species of wild plants are used in green borsch across the Ukraine. The most commonly used are Rumex spp. and Urtica dioica, and more rarely Chenopodium spp., Atriplex spp., Taraxacum officinale, Allium ursinum, Aegopodium podagraria and Ficaria verna. No information on the use of Heracleum for soup was received. The results of the questionnaire indicate that, although the use of wild plants as nutrition in towns is not widespread, in some rural areas detailed ethnobotanical studies may show a living tradition of using wild greens in nutrition.
Key words: Betula, Allium ursinum, wild green vegetables, tree sap, fermented beverages, Ukraine
