The role of transhumance in the traditional food uses among three ethnic groups in Greece

Abstract

Transhumance shaped a particular way of life for the herders. In Greece, there were three ethnic groups, mainly who moved their animals for grazing. During the summer period, they moved to mountain rangelands, while during the winter period, to the lowlands. This process influenced various aspects of their lifestyle, particularly their diet, as they adapted to the natural environment in which they lived. Through this research, a first attempt is made to record the ethnobotanical knowledge regarding the plants they used in their diet and to capture any differences between these three ethnic groups. The results showed that they used 41 taxa for their diet, with most of them belonging to the Rosaceae family. The most mentioned plant part was the "fruit" with 23 citations, and the most mentioned taxa were Cornus mas with four different uses: juice, jam, beverage, and raw. Furthermore, the differences in plant species consumed among the three ethnic groups were minimal. Nowadays, the dietary habits of the three ethnic groups, Koupatsaraioi, Sarakatsanaioi, and Vlachs, haven't changed.