“TODAY I THINK I’LL PICK MINT AND CLEMATIS VITALBA”. ITALIANS FIND A RENEWED ENTHUSIASM FOR PICKING WILD HERBS AND PLANTS

It is a possibility that Italians are returning to a simpler less costly way of life, or it could just be another passing trend, but the fact stands that there is an increasing number of people in Italy who are finding a renewed enthusiasm for picking wild herbs and plants.

Usually on Sundays, hordes of people can be found kneeling along roadsides or wandering through country fields intent on their search for wild nettles, chicory, hop, dandelions, clematis vitalba, field poppies, and so on. These wild herbs and plants are then destined for the most various of uses: rich in vitamins and minerals, and with very particular flavors, they can enrich all types of dishes, from salads, to omelets and pastas.

At one time, these resources were of primary importance, above all, for Italian farmers who have historically suffered from a general lack of prime materials. And many wild herbs also have medicinal properties and the knowledge of the use of these plants can be considered an ancient cultural patrimony, handed down through the generations, and whose importance is once again being recognized today.

To celebrate these traditions, the exhibition “Il piatto verde” (The Green Plate) will be held in Riolo Terme (Ravenna) from April to June. It is a festival of the top recipes using wild plants that students from cooking institutions invent, as well as different themed dinners proposed by top chefs who find innovative ways to propose these wild delights of the Italian territory.