The role of wild foliage plants in the diet†

While most human societies make some use of wild plants in the diet, there have been few systematic studies of the extent to which such plants are actually consumed, or of their nutritional significance. Data gathered in Lushoto District, Tanzania, indicate that vegetable relishes prepared from the foliage of wild plants are an integral and essential element in the diet of the Shambaa people at all seasons of the year. Introduced cultivated vegetables are not replacing wild relishes; the use of the label “supplementary,” implying that they are peripheral to the diet, is inappropriate.