Etnobotánica del arte culinario ancestral, San Francisco de Natabuela, Imbabura-Ecuador

Abstract

The ancestral culinary art, so called by experts or simply cooking enthusiasts, has been one of the main topics of interest in Ecuadorian gastronomy. Traditional dishes and beverages, elaborated from the practical experience of people and the environment that surrounds them, where ethnobotanical knowledge and food as one of the main categories of use recorded in works, are closely related. Therefore, the main objective of the research conducted in the parish of San Francisco de Natabuela, located in the city of Atuntaqui, province of Imbabura, was to know and record the plant species that are part of the ingredients in traditional meals. From the application of semi-struc- tured surveys and interviews with 11 villagers, holders of ethnobotanical knowledge and locally recognized for their culinary skills, a total of 7 types of chichas (rice, corn, oats, jora, yamor, rosada and de brujos) and 14 traditional and local meals prepared for the celebration of the parish festivities (San Juan, San Pedro and Inti Raymi) and social commitments such as weddings, baptisms and wakes were recorded; In addi- tion, 44 plant species are essential in the ingredients, whose most used whorls are the fruits with 22 individuals, followed by the seeds with 14 and with records of less than 2 the flowers and inflorescences. Among the most predominant taxonomic fami- lies are: Poaceae (14), Solanaceae (6), Rosaceae (4), Fabaceae and Lamiaceae (3), and others with only one individual. We conclude that the study of ancestral ethnobota- nical knowledge developed in the natabuelo families, in addition to the generational transmission of knowledge, contributes to the rescue of the identity of native species.