Legend has it that the Victoria Regia plant came about after an indigenous woman called Naiá, while trying to touch the reflection of the moon in the water, fell in and drowned, turning herself into the plant. With its undeniable beauty and peculiar way of growing, which forms large “plates” on the aquatic surface, the Victoria Regia is a symbol of the Amazon and the of region's folklore.
But what if you could eat this plant? This is what biologist Amanda Galvão, who lives in Alter do Chão, in Santarém, Pará, did when she tried to prepare dishes using parts of Victoria amazonica, its scientific name.
The experience took place in Jardim Vitória Régia, on the Jari Canal, near Alter do Chão. Managed by Dulce Oliveira. The venture serves dishes such as quiches, cakes, French toasts, tempura, jams, brownies, chips and even popcorn, made from the vegetable's stem, seed, leaf and flower.
"I went to Jardim Vitória Régia for the first time for a stroll and I tasted the dishes. Since then, I have returned several times and have tried everything. Whatever Dulce comes up with, all the new things, I try. The food is wonderful and knowing that everything from that plant is edible and seeing all she experiments in the kitchen is incredible," says Amanda.
Dulce Oliveira says she started growing a garden of Victoria Regia species in 2014. "Later, I noticed that various animals used to eat parts of the plant. Then it awakened my curiosity: if various species eat it, why not humans? That was when I decided to test and taste recipes," she recalls. Besides the dishes served there, she already has two products on the market: a jam made from the flowers and pickled food made from the stems.
According to the entrepreneur, demand for the delicacy has been high. "Some people come with their minds set on trying it. Out of ten people who come to the Jardim [garden of Victoria Regia], only one does not bother to try it," she says. Unfortunately, during the drought of 2024, Dulce lost 100% of the garden, and only now, has she got the seedlings to start planting again.
PANC
Dulce Oliveira says that until 2019, the consumption of Victoria Regia was unknown to many. "It was added to the PANC list [list of unconventional food plants or non-conventional edible plants] in 2017. It was little consumed in our region, but it is gaining market share because of its properties. We need to open our minds more to our resources, which we do not usually eat," she says.
Dulce mentions the acronym for Unconventional Food Plants, coined in 2007 by biologist Valdely Kinupp, author of the book Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais (PANC) no Brasil - Guia de identificação, aspectos nutricionais e receitas ilustradas [Non-Conventional Food Plants in Brazil - Identification guide, nutritional aspects and illustrated recipes], in partnership with botanist Harri Lorenzi.
According to nutritionist Larissa Ferreira, who studied the subject for her master's thesis, PANC are those plants that have one or more parts that can be used for human consumption. “But generally, they are not adequately included in our usual menu, in conventional production systems and in large supermarket chains,” she explains.
"The concept also refers to parts of conventional plants that are usually discarded, such as stalks, potato leaves and pumpkin seeds. In addition, it also relates to stages considered unconventional, such as green fruit like green jackfruit, green mango or green banana, which has seen a boom in consumption of the biomass," she adds.
Industrialized food puts regional consumption at risk
Larissa says she became interested in PANC because she has always sought a broader view in her field, Nutrition. "As well as nutritional aspects, I have always considered social, cultural and environmental factors linked to the act of eating. I have always been unconvinced and curious, because we are in a region with so much diversity, but we always see the same vegetables on our plates and in our diet plans, while there are so many plants growing all around us, whether on vacant lots, sidewalks, roadsides, vegetable gardens," she comments.
That is why she decided to research about PANC during her master's degree in Biodiversity and Conservation at the Altamira campus of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). "The aim of my study was to verify the knowledge and use of unconventional food plants by biological sciences students in the Amazon. I succeeded in recording 112 species identified by the interviewees, most of them native, with a consumption percentage of 71%. Among the most mentioned ones were jambu (Acmella oleracea), chicory (Cichorium intybus), alfavaca (Ocimum basilicum), taioba (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), Amazonian ora-pro-nóbis, camapu
(Physalis), tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum) and pupunha (Bactris gasipaes). An important point is that knowledge of these PANC is closely linked to family origin.
But this knowledge is being put at risk due to the consumption of industrialized foods and an increasingly globalized and homogenized diet, in this scenario of hegemonic monoculture of corn, soy, wheat, rice and sugar cane," highlights the researcher.
SCOPE
Larissa Ferreira points out that PANC have significant amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber, as well as various other properties, such as anti-inflammatory ones. “They are functional foods which, in addition to their basic nutritional value, have an extra contribution for health, as well as bringing diversification to the food,” explains the nutritionist. She adds that, despite being neglected and underused, they can contribute to food security because their leaves, flowers, seeds and roots can provide food in sufficient quantity and quality without compromising other needs.
The researcher also points out that they are important resources in the face of climate change. "They are more resistant, better adapted to climate and soil conditions, and depend less on water resources and care. It is by means of these short chains, which do not require transportation and cause less waste, that we will achieve a more sustainable food system. It is fundamental to the concept of food sovereignty, which is the autonomy to choose who produces the food, to reflect on what I put on my plate. What path does my food take until it reaches my plate? Is it healthy from an ecological, environmental, cultural, social and economic point of view?" she asks.
RESEARCH
Valdely Kinupp, creator of the acronym PANC, expert on the subject and professor at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Amazonas, has been studying PANC for 22 years. His interest began as a child. "I come from a very humble, landless family. And I learned from my parents to eat serralha, banana hearts and papaya pith," he recalls.
As a researcher, he dedicated himself to studying the subject, which resulted in the book, published in 2014. "It took 12 years to conclude. We discovered a huge range of species with food potential. The book has 1,053 illustrated recipes and has contributed to popularizing PANC," he says. The book is still being updated and is nearing its third edition.
But Kinupp did not limit himself to research: he created a small farm in Manaus, Amazonas, which he calls a “living laboratory”. "We receive visitors who can get to know a collction of Brazilian agrobiodiversity, following the precepts of agroecology to cultivate these plants. We sell products to restaurants and also offer meals prepared with PANC on the site itself, which also offers accommodation," he explains.
On the site, for example, tucumã, nettle, capeba (Piper umbellatum), picão preto (Bidens pilosa), ora-pro-nóbis, taioba, cubiu (Solanum sessiflorum) and other PANC vegetables and fruits from the region are exploited.
Yara Howe, from Tuiuti, in the interior of São Paulo, was one of the visitors to the PANC site. Kinupp's book, put her in touch with things she was already looking to consume such as these plants in her town, but the access to them was limited. According to her, the experience was a watershed moment and changed her eating habits. "It expanded my knowledge about ways of producing food. We have so much food on the planet, but we despise it, and we end up destroying our soil and our climate. We need to radically change our view on food, the preservation of nature and our relationship with the world. And also (we need) to have health and diversity in our diet. I think Kinupp's initiative is a vision of future," she argues.
The potential of PANC is still poorly known
According to Kinupp, the most consumed PANC in the Amazon are the traditional ones, used by riverine and indigenous peoples. "Some are even used by urban society, but the production chain is still incipient. Cajurana (Quassia guianensis), for example, is a fruit that never reaches the markets. Only fishermen and extractivists know about it," he says.
In his doctoral dissertation, the biologist found that around 21% of Amazonian plants are edible. "So, if we have 20,000 species here and 20% are edible, we have around 4,000 native edible plants. But how many do we actually eat? The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) points out that 150 species rule the world food market. Among these, four contribute to approximately 90% of the calories consumed by the planet: wheat, rice, corn and potatoes. We are in the Amazon, but almost everything comes from other states or other countries. So, we need to diversify the menu. Everyone knows kale, cabbage, arugula and lettuce, but we do not know our own vegetables. We need to be more autonomous," he suggests.
According to Kinupp, PANC is synonymous with sustainability. "PANC are there to prevent environmental degradation, allowing you to plant agroforestry and agroecological crops. If you plant, buy or extract more PANC, you will be avoiding to buy food from predatory agribusiness," he says.
CULTIVATION
Agronomist Rafaelle Fazzi, a professor at the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (Ufra), is carrying out a study to discover the effects of different arrangements of agroforestry systems for growing PANC in Santo Antônio do Tauá. "It is a system of organic and regenerative agriculture, in which we build the arrangements in areas that have already been anthropized by agriculture or grazing. We want to evaluate the processes that occur over time, using four different models.
The production plants are jambu, chicory and cariru (Talinum triangulare) and the service plants, which make up the agroforestry system, are various and different in each arrangement," she explains.
The research aims to offer more sustainable cultivation models and generate more income for producers. “Since it is a biodiverse cultivation system, a huge benefit is the carbon fixation, both in the plant and in the soil, and the provision of other ecosystem services, integrating food production and the recovery of forest areas,” says the agronomist.
According to the researcher, she chose PANC for the project because she believes in the potential of these plants in the face of climate change scenarios. "They are more resilient plants, adapted to natural environments and need fewer inputs. Our system is totally based on nature, we do not use fertilizers. In addition, there is the socio-cultural issue of our region with these plants and their nutritional richness. All of this contributes to the environment and to the promotion of food security," she concludes.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIP
The production of Liberal Amazon is one of the initiatives of the Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Liberal Group and the Federal University of Pará. The articles involving research from UFPA are revised by professionals from the academy. The translation of the content is also provided by the agreement, through the research project ET-Multi: Translation Studies: multifaces and multisemiotics.
