Traditional Beverages Derived from Wild Food Plant Species in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province in South Africa

Abstract

Beverages derived from wild plant species play an important role in local and traditional food systems in rural communities such as in the Vhembe District, South Africa. Conducting research on such foodstuffs may help to prevent loss of indigenous knowledge on potential dietary sources for needy households. Through surveys and focussed group discussions, 41 different beverage-making plant species were identified. Traditional beverage making processes are of three types. Preparing teas involve a boiling process while juices are manually extracted following overnight soaking of the fruit pulp mixture. Brewing traditional beer usually requires a spontaneous fermentation process lasting 2–3 days.

Keywords:

• beverage-making plant species
• environmental sustainability
• fruit juices
• harvesting methods
• plant parts used
• preparation methods
• teas
• traditional beer

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank all informants in the various rural communities located in the Vhembe District who participated in the pilot study and shared their indigenous knowledge on sought-after beverage-making wild plant species. We are grateful to the Traditional Tribal Councils in the areas surveyed for the pilot study as well as the Ethics Review Committee attached to the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University of South Africa for approving the pilot study (which constituted part of a PhD research project) and for providing permission and consent. The Indigenous Beverages Project was financed by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in collaboration with the University of South Africa (Thuthuka Grant: GUN 207 3321). Thanks also to Dr. June Meeuwis for editing some of the work covered in this article.