Traditional uses in Valmalenco (SO, Italy): from ethnobotany to the nutritional value of typical plant species

This work is part of the Italy-Switzerland Interreg research project B-ICE (ID. 63143) Study and enhancement of a precious natural and cultural heritage in an open Alpin region, with innovative approaches to the future. Valmalenco (SO): study and enhancement of the plant and cultural biodiversity through an ethnobotanical survey, which is aimed to promote a sustainable management model for the ongoing climate change in Valmalenco (Sondrio, Italy) and to reach new sources for the local enhancement. To this goal, traditional uses of autochthonous plant species represent an important part of the rich biocultural heritage locally available. The ethnobotanical survey was performed in the municipalities of Chiesa in Valmalenco, Caspoggio, Lanzada, Spriana and Torre di Santa Maria, with the purpose of investigating, through the proposal of interviews to the local community, the traditional uses in the therapeutic, cosmetic, food, artisan, agropastoral, recreational and religious fields. In 2019 and 2020, 340 interviews were conducted. For each species, attention was paid to the: common and dialectal names of the plant, past or current use, plant risk category, ways of administration, recommendations of use and methods and forms of preparation. Concerning the food sector, the use of 123 species, belonging to 48 families, emerged: Rosaceae, Ericaceae and Asteraceae were the most represented. Vaccinium myrtillus L., Rubus idaeus L., Fragaria vesca L., and Taraxacum officinale Weber (s. l.) were the most cited species, mostly employed as fresh fruit or in jam. This work aims to investigate the nutritional properties of the most mentioned plant species of the Malenca culinary tradition, using the number of citations and the type of preparation as selection criteria; alcoholic preparations, as well as those with a high content of sugar or oil, were excluded a priori. On these bases, 6 target-species were selected: Chenopodium bonus-henricus L., whose boiled leaves are consumed in gnocchi, risottos, and frittatas; Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke, whose young leaves are employed raw in salads or boiled in rice soups; Taraxacum officinale Weber (s. l.), whose young leaves, sometimes with the apical portion of the root and the inflorescence, are collected to prepare salads, while the boiled fullyexpanded leaves represent the basis for frittatas; Rumex acetosa L., whose herbaceous stems and young leaves are eaten as country snack; Aruncus dioicus (Walter) Fernald, whose boiled sprouts are used in frittatas and salads; Urtica dioica L., whose boiled young leaves are the basis for the preparation of gnocchi, risottos and filling. Therefore, for each species a working protocol including subsequent phases was developed: 1) selection of the traditional dish to be analysed; 2) identification of key-collectors; 3) creation of a timetable of the harvesting periods related to the “balsamic time” defined by the traditional knowledge; 4) identification of the collection sites; 5) definition of the procedure for the treatment and storage of samples until the time of analysis; 6) evaluation and beginning of the tests on the nutritional value. The nutritional quality will be analysed through the detection of the centesimal composition (percentages of moisture, proteins, lipids, total carbohydrates, and ashes), as well as of the amounts of some bioactive compounds known for their potential positive effects on human health (polyphenols, carotenoids, and minerals), in both raw and boiled samples according to traditional procedures. This work will also enhance the Valley’s tradition from a nutritional point of view through the realization of a dedicated recipe book, including the following information: botanical description of the species together with its botanical sketch; its traditional use in the food sector documented in the study area; description of the typical dish according to the Malenca culinary tradition together with the detailed recipe; photo’s archive of the work’s steps, from the harvesting to the final dish; return of the scientific data to the general public, with the aim of reawakening the inhabitants’ awareness and of enhancing the value of the Valmalenco biocultural heritage.