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Volume 11
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10.3390/foods11233898
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Article

Food Security beyond Cereals: A Cross-Geographical Comparative Study on Acorn Bread Heritage in the Mediterranean and the Middle East

by
Dauro Mattia Zocchi
1,*,
Camilla Bondioli
1,
Seyed Hamzeh Hosseini
2,
Mohamed Djamel Miara
3,
Carmelo Maria Musarella
4,
Datis Mohammadi
1,
Ajmal Khan Manduzai
5,
Kovan Dilawer Issa
6,
Naji Sulaiman
7,
Chadi Khatib
8,
Hiwa M. Ahmed
9,10,
Tola Abdulsattar Faraj
6,11,
Hawraz Ibrahim M. Amin
12,13,
Faiq H. S. Hussain
6,
Abdullah Faiz
1,14,
Antonella Pasqualone
15,
Frits Heinrich
16,17,
Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco
1,18 and
Andrea Pieroni
1,6
1
University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
2
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Jiroft, Jiroft P.O. Box 78671-55311, Iran
3
Agrobiotechnology and Nutrition Laboratory in Semi-Arid and Arid Zones, Department of Nature and Life Sciences, Ibn-Khaldoun University, BP P 78 Zaâroura, Tiaret 14000, Algeria
4
Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Via dell’Università, 25 (Già Salita Melissari), 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy
5
Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University, Abbottabad Campus, University Road, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan
6
Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
7
Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic
8
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damascus University, Damascus P.O. Box 30621, Syria
9
Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Slemani 46001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
10
Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural Engineering Science, University of Raparin, Ranya 46012, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
11
Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
12
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil 44001, Iraq
13
Department of Medical Biochemical Analysis, Cihan University-Erbil, Erbil 44001, Iraq
14
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Herat, Herat 3001, Afghanistan
15
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola, 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
16
Research Group Social and Cultural Food Studies (FOST), Department of History, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
17
Research Group Industrial Microbiology and Food Biotechnology (IMDO), Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
18
Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
 
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2022, 11(23), 3898; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233898
Submission received: 26 October 2022 / Revised: 25 November 2022 / Accepted: 30 November 2022 / Published: 2 December 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Food Security and Sustainability)
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Abstract

This article aims to contribute to the limited literature on traditional gastronomic knowledge concerning acorn-based bread by ethnographically documenting the ingredients, preparation techniques and consumption practices of baked goods made from acorn seeds and flour that are still used today or at least still present in living memory. A qualitative comparative case method was adopted, and ethnographic data were gathered from 67 people in six selected Mediterranean, Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries. The analysis highlighted distinct trajectories in the development of acorn-based bread, showing some differences in terms of ingredients, preparation techniques and baking methods in the two cultural and geographical macro-regions. By exploring the evolution of the alimentary role of acorn bread in the past century, our findings also support the hypothesis that the product, at least during the last two centuries, has mostly been used as a famine food. By acknowledging the cultural importance of acorn fruits and acorn-based products, this study suggests that the rediscovery of acorn-based products and associated traditional knowledge may foster the sustainable development of rural and marginal regions in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Central Asia. This could help to reinforce the resilience of local communities and thus increase food security. Furthermore, reassessing acorns as a foodstuff may aid in developing innovative products in line with emerging trends in the food sector, which is looking for new non-cereal-based bakery products and other novel culinary applications.
Keywords: balanophagy; food security; food heritage; food scouting; ethnobotany balanophagy; food security; food heritage; food scouting; ethnobotany

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zocchi, D.M.; Bondioli, C.; Hamzeh Hosseini, S.; Miara, M.D.; Musarella, C.M.; Mohammadi, D.; Khan Manduzai, A.; Dilawer Issa, K.; Sulaiman, N.; Khatib, C.; et al. Food Security beyond Cereals: A Cross-Geographical Comparative Study on Acorn Bread Heritage in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Foods 2022, 11, 3898. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233898

AMA Style

Zocchi DM, Bondioli C, Hamzeh Hosseini S, Miara MD, Musarella CM, Mohammadi D, Khan Manduzai A, Dilawer Issa K, Sulaiman N, Khatib C, et al. Food Security beyond Cereals: A Cross-Geographical Comparative Study on Acorn Bread Heritage in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Foods. 2022; 11(23):3898. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233898

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zocchi, Dauro Mattia, Camilla Bondioli, Seyed Hamzeh Hosseini, Mohamed Djamel Miara, Carmelo Maria Musarella, Datis Mohammadi, Ajmal Khan Manduzai, Kovan Dilawer Issa, Naji Sulaiman, Chadi Khatib, and et al. 2022. "Food Security beyond Cereals: A Cross-Geographical Comparative Study on Acorn Bread Heritage in the Mediterranean and the Middle East" Foods 11, no. 23: 3898. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233898

APA Style

Zocchi, D. M., Bondioli, C., Hamzeh Hosseini, S., Miara, M. D., Musarella, C. M., Mohammadi, D., Khan Manduzai, A., Dilawer Issa, K., Sulaiman, N., Khatib, C., Ahmed, H. M., Faraj, T. A., Amin, H. I. M., Hussain, F. H. S., Faiz, A., Pasqualone, A., Heinrich, F., Fontefrancesco, M. F., & Pieroni, A. (2022). Food Security beyond Cereals: A Cross-Geographical Comparative Study on Acorn Bread Heritage in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Foods, 11(23), 3898. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233898

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