{"id":5759,"date":"2023-01-14T11:32:39","date_gmt":"2023-01-14T19:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/?post_type=pal&p=5759"},"modified":"2024-03-30T11:44:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T18:44:18","slug":"identifying-the-plant-source-of-an-edible-seed-from-iraq","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/identifying-the-plant-source-of-an-edible-seed-from-iraq\/","title":{"rendered":"identifying the plant source of an edible seed from Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"

I know these salted nuts are called \u2018sissi<\/em>\u2019 in\"\" Iraq, where they are a traditional snack, but what plant do they come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Because of the distinctive spiny tips on the husks, I think these are seeds of Gundelia tournefortii<\/em>. The plant is native to rocky soils of the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean, and is a type of thistle called \u2018akkoub<\/em>\u2019 in Arabic, and \u2018akuvit ha-galgal\u2019<\/em> (possibly meaning wheeled thistle because it forms tumbleweeds, or perhaps thistle tough enough to ensnare wheels) in Hebrew. Its English common name is tumble thistle<\/em>. The species is named for Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, author of the 1717 book Relation d’un voyage du Levant, fait par ordre du roy<\/em><\/a>\u00a0 An illustration from the book depicts it.<\/p>\n

Not only are the seeds edible, but so too are the immature inflorescences (similar to artichoke). Over-ha\"\"rvesting of the unopened flowering heads by commercial enterprises can lead to broad swathes where plants are not given a chance to flower and produce seeds. Conservation efforts are underway in Jordan<\/a>, Israel and Palestine,<\/a> and elsewhere in the region to make sure this important seasonal food plant is cultivated and harvested sustainably.<\/p>\n

Edible seeds<\/a>, <\/span>Edible wild plants<\/a>, <\/span>Gundelia tournefortii<\/a>, <\/span>Plant conservation<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know these salted nuts are called \u2018sissi\u2019 in Iraq, where they are a traditional snack, but what plant do they come from?                           Because of the distinctive spiny tips on the husks, I think these are seeds of Gundelia tournefortii. The plant is native to rocky soils of the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean, and is a type of thistle called \u2018akkoub\u2019 in Arabic, and \u2018akuvit…<\/p>\n

Continue reading identifying the plant source of an edible seed from Iraq<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[1038,868,1170,1070],"class_list":["post-5759","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-edible-seeds","keyword-edible-wild-plants","keyword-gundelia-tournefortii","keyword-plant-conservation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/5759"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=5759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}