Cassius T. Lockett

Energy and micronutrient composition of dietary and medicinal wild plants consumed during drought. Study of rural Fulani, northeastern Nigeria.

Two rural settled Fulani villages, northeastern Nigeria, were surveyed for dietary practices and use of edible wild plants (n = 100 households). Commonly consumed species of edible wild barks, fruits, leaves, nuts, seeds, and tubers were analyzed for protein, fat, and carbohydrate and for minerals. Kuka bark (Adansonia digitata) given to infants to increase weight gain was high in fat, calcium, copper, iron, and zinc. Cediya (Ficus thonningii), dorowa (Parkia biglobosa) and zogale (Moringa oleifera) were good sources of protein and fat and excellent sources of calcium and iron or copper and zinc. Fruits, leaves, and nuts of aduwa (Balanites aegyptiaca) were widely used during the dry season and during drought. Edible wild species available during the wet season generally were inferior in energy and micronutrient mineral content compared to dry season plants. Fruits commonly eaten by children were poor sources of protein and minerals but rich in carbohydrate and fiber. Tsamiya seeds (Tamarindus indica) were good sources of zinc and used to make dawwa (porridge) commonly consumed during pregnancy. Kirya seeds (Prosopos africana) contained the highest zinc concentrations. Shiwaka leaves (Veronia colorate) consumed by pregnant women to increase breastmilk production and to expel intestinal worms, were high in fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and were adequate sources of calcium.Two rural settled Fulani villages, northeastern Nigeria, were surveyed for dietary practices and use of edible wild plants (n = 100 households). Commonly consumed species of edible wild barks, fruits, leaves, nuts, seeds, and tubers were analyzed for protein, fat, and carbohydrate and for minerals. Kuka bark (Adansonia digitata) given to infants to increase weight gain was high in fat, calcium, copper, iron, and zinc. Cediya (Ficus thonningii), dorowa (Parkia biglobosa) and zogale (Moringa oleifera) were good sources of protein and fat and excellent sources of calcium and iron or copper and zinc. Fruits, leaves, and nuts of aduwa (Balanites aegyptiaca) were widely used during the dry season and during drought. Edible wild species available during the wet season generally were inferior in energy and micronutrient mineral content compared to dry season plants. Fruits commonly eaten by children were poor sources of protein and minerals but rich in carbohydrate and fiber. Tsamiya seeds (Tamarindus indica) were good sources of zinc and used to make dawwa (porridge) commonly consumed during pregnancy. Kirya seeds (Prosopos africana) contained the highest zinc concentrations. Shiwaka leaves (Veronia colorate) to increase breastmilk production and to expel intestinal worms, were high in fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and were adequate sources of calcium.

Food-related behaviors during drought: a study of rural Fulani, northeastern Nigeria.

Two rural settled Fulani villages in northeast Nigeria were surveyed for dietary practices and use of edible wild plants (n = 100 adult subjects). Dietary patterns and medical data were obtained for children under 5, pregnant and lactating women and the elderly. A diversified diet was maintained at both geographical locations through hunting, gathering, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, food exchanges and cash purchases. Edible wild plants associated with children included fruits of baure (Ficus sycomorus), faru (Lannea schiniperi), giginya (Gardenia aqualla), kokiya (Strychnos spinosa) and nunu (Parinari curatellitolia). Leaves of shiwaka (Veronia colorate) were consumed by lactating women to stimulate breastmilk production. Generally, fruits of baure (Ficus sycomorus) were eaten to counter stomach pain; fruits of kisni (Bridelia ferruginea) were eaten to treat diarrhea; and bark of kuka (Adansonia digitata) was consumed for weight gain. Food storage was more important during wet seasons than dry because of local and regional flooding. Adult Fulani men rode to distant markets on bicycles, while women walked to market and in some instances expended 3200 kcal/day engaging in this activity.Two rural settled Fulani villages in northeast Nigeria were surveyed for dietary practices and use of edible wild plants (n = 100 adult subjects). Dietary patterns and medical data were obtained for children under 5, pregnant and lactating women and the elderly. A diversified diet was maintained at both geographical locations through hunting, gathering, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, food exchanges and cash purchases. Edible wild plants associated with children included fruits of baure (Ficus sycomorus), faru (Lannea schiniperi), giginya (Gardenia aqualla), kokiya (Strychnos spinosa) and nunu (Parinari curatellitolia). Leaves of shiwaka (Veronia colorate) were consumed by lactating women to stimulate breastmilk production. Generally, fruits of baure (Ficus sycomorus) were eaten to counter stomach pain; fruits of kisni (Bridelia ferruginea) were eaten to treat diarrhea; and bark of kuka (Adansonia digitata) was consumed for weight gain. Food storage was more important during wet seasons than dry because of local and regional flooding. Adult Fulani men rode to distant markets on bicycles, while women walked to market and in some instances expended 3200 kcal/day engaging in this activity.

Food in American History, Part 6—beef (part 1): Reconstruction and Growth Into the 20th Century (1865–1910)

This sixth installment of Food in American History series considers 1865 through 1910, covering America’s reconstruction and growth after the Civil War, with beef as the central food theme. Part 1 follows the rise of the hamburger as an icon in American culture.

Food in American History: Part 9. Chicken: Cold War and Social Upheaval: Through the Atomic Age and Vietnam to the American Bicentennial (1945-1976)

A chicken in every pot, chicken strips, Chicken Little: each is part of American history. During the 1930s, most chickens were raised in America for egg production. Fried chicken served at Grandmother’s Sunday midday dinner was a rare, special treat. Then, customs changed when, after World War II, an elderly man named SandersVdressed in a white suitValtered American food patterns forever, so much so that by 2000, Americans ate nearly 95 pounds of chicken annually. Who says one person can’t make a difference? Chicken and English slang go hand in hand. By 1677, the term chicken meant a child or young woman; then, through subsequent centuries, this connotation became genderless that by 1836, the word chicken also meant a male friend. By the early 19th century, the term chicken also signified something small and insignificant, and the single word was extended to ‘‘chickenfeed,’’ for an insignificant sum of money or small change. By the early 17th century, the word chicken had other meanings as well, including a ‘‘doomed individual’’ or ‘‘coward.’’ Hence, to ‘‘chicken out’’ was to back out from fear; by 1952, the chicken/coward connotation signified a contest of nerves, when 2 automobiles were driven head-on and the first to swerve and avoid the crash was ‘‘chicken.’’ Politically, the phrase ‘‘chicken-of-the-sea’’ was applied during the Cold War and represented an American-Soviet ‘‘game’’ of confrontation, surveillance, and brinkmanship, memorialized in the unforgettable film The Bedford Incident (1965). Late 20th century chicken-related slang also saw the rise of the phrase ‘‘does a chicken have lips,’’ to signify a negative response, whereas the term ‘‘chicken-button’’ was sometimes equated with ‘‘panic button,’’ as in the ‘‘button’’ used to launch atomic missiles.

Food in American History Part 5: Pork: A Nation Divided: The American Civil War Era (1861-1865).

This fifth installment of the Food in American History series considers the period from 1861 through 1865, the era of the American Civil War, with pork as the central food theme.