The consumption of traditional and indigenous foods and beverages varies across different ethnic communities and is often influenced by geographical location. However, the diversity of edible plants is rapidly declining due to climate change, leading to a loss of knowledge about useful plants used by different communities before the plant itself becomes extinct. This research investigated the edible plant types and investigated the processing steps of plant-based traditional foods/dishes and beverages of Gumare village, located in the catchment area of the Okavango Delta in the northwest of Botswana. Questionnaire interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) were used to collect data. The study identified 52 wild and 19 domesticated edible plants used in the preparation of traditional foods/dishes and beverages of Gumare village. Maize, sorghum, millets, beans, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, bottle gourd and sweet potato are widely used domesticated crops. The wild edible plants are either directly used after minor processing or as recipes in traditional dishes and/or as an inoculum in the fermentation, as a substrate in traditional beverages and some as medicinal plants. However, some taboos and food safety challenges were observed in the use of certain plants. The study highlighted a decline in the use of traditional foods/dishes and beverages, particularly among the young generation. The youth indicated that they have a low interest in gathering traditional foods and beverages due to the time-consuming nature during harvesting and the labour-intensive processing. In addition, they indicated the dangers of attacks by wild animals from veld by reptiles (for example snakes and pythons) and alligators (crocodiles) from rivers during the harvesting of raw materials used in traditional foods and dishes. For the communities, the diverse edible wild plants documented are a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds such as dietary fibers, phenolics, terpenes, essential oils, carotenoids, and alkaloids that help to combat malnutrition and for use as traditional medicines to support health and wellness. In conclusion, the significant diversity of wild edible plants and domesticated crops in Gumare village, likely due to its location in the catchment area of the Okavango Delta, plays a crucial role in diet diversification and can contribute to food and nutrition security. However, for most wild edible plants of Botswana, information on their nutrient and bioactive compounds are still limited. This study provides baseline information for further chemical investigation and development of resources in the formulation of functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Graphical Abstract

中文翻译：

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博茨瓦纳 Gumare 村的植物性传统食品和饮料

不同种族社区对传统和本土食品和饮料的消费各不相同，而且往往受到地理位置的影响。然而，由于气候变化，可食用植物的多样性正在迅速下降，导致在植物本身灭绝之前，不同社区使用的有用植物的知识丢失。本研究调查了位于博茨瓦纳西北部奥卡万戈三角洲集水区的 Gumare 村的可食用植物类型，并调查了以植物为基础的传统食品/菜肴和饮料的加工步骤。问卷访谈和焦点小组讨论 (FGD) 用于收集数据。该研究确定了 52 种野生和 19 种驯化可食用植物，用于制作 Gumare 村的传统食品/菜肴和饮料。玉米、高粱、小米、豆类、甜瓜、西瓜、南瓜、葫芦和红薯是广泛使用的驯化作物。野生可食用植物要么经过轻微加工后直接使用，要么作为传统菜肴的食谱和/或作为发酵中的接种物，作为传统饮料的底物，有些还用作药用植物。然而，在使用某些植物时观察到一些禁忌和食品安全挑战。该研究强调了传统食品/菜肴和饮料的使用率下降，尤其是在年轻一代中。青年表示，由于收获和劳动密集型加工过程耗时，他们对收集传统食品和饮料的兴趣不大。此外，他们指出，在传统食品和菜肴所用原材料的收获过程中，草原上的野生动物受到来自河流的爬行动物（例如蛇和蟒蛇）和短吻鳄（鳄鱼）攻击的危险。对于社区而言，记录在案的各种可食用野生植物是营养物质和生物活性化合物的来源，例如膳食纤维、酚类物质、萜烯、精油、类胡萝卜素和生物碱，有助于对抗营养不良并用作支持健康的传统药物. 总之，Gumare 村野生食用植物和驯化作物的显着多样性，可能是由于其位于奥卡万戈三角洲的集水区，在饮食多样化方面发挥着至关重要的作用，可以促进粮食和营养安全。然而，对于博茨瓦纳的大多数野生食用植物来说，有关其营养和生物活性化合物的信息仍然有限。本研究为功能性食品和保健品配方中的进一步化学调查和资源开发提供了基线信息。

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