The vital knowledge of traditional foraging techniques used in indigenous peoples' cuisines may be preserved through gastronomical field studies before it is lost forever. Certain plants are appreciated for their gastronomic, social, economic and ecological importance in the High Himalaya because they play such a significant role in the daily life of the local indigenous populations. To determine the plant cultural indicators for each ethnic group, the data were analyzed using an indicator species analysis. Semi-structured interviews of 167 participants, focus group discussion, and field observations were used to gather information from February 2019 to August 2022 for a comprehensive and systematic gastronomical survey. Across four ethnic groups, a total of ( = 99) wild edible plant species and (N = 9) fungi species from 38 families were documented. Tender leaves were the most commonly used, while tubers were the least commonly used. The majority of the species reported were used as vegetables, followed by species used as fruits and herbal tea. For the first time, we examined cross-cultural similarity and dissimilarity for gastronomic usage: vegetables and savoring plants,fruits, and herbal tea across the cultures studied from the perspective of food ethnobotany. We discovered a clear difference in how different cultures used forest resources, with Gujjar and Pahari showing the most species similarity. This is because these ethic groups are culturally linked with one another and share a common social structure, geography, and language. We calculated plant cultural markers for each species, and 19 of them had significant -values among the four ethnic groups. The findings revealed a positive relationship between the Gujjar and Pahari ethnic groups and the gastronomical indicator values, while the Kashmiri ethnic group had a negative relationship. The Kashmiri ethnic group experienced the loss of traditional knowledge because of the economic transition that caused people to prefer purchasing vegetables from the market rather than foraging for them in the wild. Traditional knowledge was also dwindling between the Gujjar and Pahari ethnic groups because of social changes brought on by developmental activities that changed their way of life. The identified plant cultural markers were significant to local residents and frequently had adaptations to extremely harsh climatic and environmental conditions. Our finding that 47% of species had market value suggests that these species have a sizable market demand and a promising economic value. They have the potential to boost food security, local community sovereignty, and people's living standards. Food production systems may become more resilient and sustainable by incorporating these indicator species into conventional agriculture. The current study raises awareness about forest resources and enables ethnic groups to live in a natural environment without food scarcity.

中文翻译：

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高海拔喜马拉雅山森林资源食物民族植物学：增强少数民族的食物主权


土著人民烹饪中使用的传统采集技术的重要知识可以通过美食实地研究得以保存，以免永远消失。某些植物因其在喜马拉雅山高地的美食、社会、经济和生态重要性而受到赞赏，因为它们在当地土著居民的日常生活中发挥着如此重要的作用。为了确定每个族群的植物文化指标，使用指示物种分析对数据进行了分析。通过对167名参与者的半结构化访谈、焦点小组讨论和实地观察的方式收集2019年2月至2022年8月的信息，进行全面、系统的美食调查。在四个民族中，共记录了来自 38 个科的 (= 99) 种野生食用植物物种和 (N = 9) 真菌物种。嫩叶最常用，而块茎最不常用。报告的大多数物种被用作蔬菜，其次是用作水果和凉茶的物种。我们首次研究了美食用法的跨文化相似性和差异性：从食品民族植物学的角度研究不同文化中的蔬菜和品尝植物、水果和花草茶。我们发现不同文化使用森林资源的方式存在明显差异，古吉贾尔和帕哈里表现出最大的物种相似性。这是因为这些族群在文化上相互联系，并拥有共同的社会结构、地理和语言。我们计算了每个物种的植物文化标志，其中 19 个在四个民族中具有显着价值。 研究结果显示，古吉贾尔族和帕哈里族与美食指标值之间存在正相关关系，而克什米尔族则存在负相关关系。由于经济转型，克什米尔民族经历了传统知识的丧失，导致人们更喜欢从市场购买蔬菜，而不是在野外采摘。由于发展活动改变了他们的生活方式，带来了社会变革，古贾尔族和帕哈里族之间的传统知识也在减少。已确定的植物文化标志对当地居民具有重要意义，并且经常适应极其恶劣的气候和环境条件。我们发现47%的物种具有市场价值，这表明这些物种具有相当大的市场需求和有前景的经济价值。它们有潜力提高粮食安全、当地社区主权和人民生活水平。通过将这些指标物种纳入传统农业，粮食生产系统可能会变得更具弹性和可持续性。目前的研究提高了人们对森林资源的认识，并使少数民族能够生活在没有食物短缺的自然环境中。