Sofia Anna Enrica PIOPPI

Dr. Sofia Anna Enrica PIOPPI

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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 April 2024 in Plants
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Naji SulaimanNaji Sulaiman
Naji Sulaiman
FSFarzad Salehi
Farzad Salehi
Julia PrakofjewaJulia Prakofjewa
Julia Prakofjewa
SPSofia Anna Enrica PIOPPI
Sofia Anna Enrica PIOPPI
HAHiwa. M. Ahmed
Hiwa. M. Ahmed
Renata SõukandRenata Sõukand
Renata Sõukand
Plant foraging is a millennia-old activity still practiced by many people in the Middle East, particularly in the Fertile Crescent region, where several socioeconomic, ecological, and cultural factors shape this practice. This study seeks to understand the drivers of plant foraging in this complex region characterized by highly diverse linguistic, religious, and cultural groups. Our study aims to document the wild plants used by Kurds in Western Iran, identify similarities and differences among Hawraman and Mukriyan Kurdish groups in Iran, and compare our findings with a previous study on the Hawramani in Iraq. Forty-three semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in Kurdish villages of Western Iran. The results revealed the use of 44 wild food plant taxa, their preparation, and culinary uses. Among the reported taxa, 28 plant taxa were used by Mukriyani, and 33 by Hawramani. The study revealed a significant difference between the Hawraman and Mukriyan regions in Iran, whereas there is a high similarity between Hawramani Kurds in Iran and Iraq. We found that the invisible cultural border carries more weight than political divisions, and this calls for a paradigm shift in how we perceive and map the distribution of ethnobotanical knowledge.