Composition of local and purchased foods consumed by the Gidra in Lowland Papua

Seventy‐eight foods (70 locally exploited and 8 purchased) consumed by the Gidra in lowland Papua were sampled and their nutrient compositions and metal concentrations were determined.

Because local food samples were collected in the state in which they were normally eaten by the villagers, the water content of several of our samples, especially of sago flour, was much greater than that in the literature.

The variation of protein and energy content in nine samples of banana (genus Musa) was greater than that in six samples of tuberous crops belonging to four different genera.

The most important purchased plant foods were wheat flour and rice, which have gradually replaced the local plant staples, mainly sago flour. The ratio of protein per energy unit of wheat flour is twice as high as that of tubers and more than 15 times as high as that of sago flour.

Key words:

• lowland Papua
• nutrients composition
• metals concentration
• water content
• sago flour
• local foods
• purchased foods