Foraging

Foraging involves finding and harvesting wild foods. Historically, this was a normal means of obtaining food, an integral part of “hunting and gathering” cultures. Even after the introduction of agriculture, foraging remained a common way of supplementing food supplies. After the Industrial Revolution, with the introduction of factory-prepared and convenience foods, people became less inclined to harvest and eat wild foods. Foraging came to be seen as an unusual behavior, an odd hobby at best.

In recent years, the notion of foraging has again captured people’s attention. Led by some of the world’s most popular restaurants and their celebrity chefs, foraging has even become trendy. However, foraging is not without its controversies. The fear of being poisoned, either from the plants themselves or from human-made herbicides, ...