Archaic Food Uses of Large Graminoids in Agro Peligno Wetlands (Abruzzo, Central Italy) Compared With the European Ethnobotanical and Archaeological Literature

Large graminoid species, which often dominate wetland ecosystems with extensive and dense formations, are among the most indicative plants from the first human settlements, where they have been used (even transformed) for various functions ranging from food, cordage, weaving and other utilities. Wetland large graminoid foraging today represents one of the rarest and most archaic customs still in existence, as they have frequently disappeared following changes in society or the disappearance of marshes. These customs have (almost) disappeared in Europe, especially in Italy, following socio-economic changes and wetland reclamation; remaining uses can generally only be found in prehistoric traces. This research in Agro Peligno documents and describes for the first time the remains of these prehistoric uses, which are related to the ancient Peligni (or Paeligni) people. The data collected in the current field study were later compared with food uses of graminoids arising from a large spectrum of archaeological, ethnobotanical, and folkloric literature from other European areas, in a large sense. Problems and outlook regarding the loss of this traditional knowledge are also briefly discussed.