Plants and food culture

Of the many plants that exist, humans have selected those that are useful as food and cultivated them. By doing so, humans have developed a variety of
food cultures and agricultural cultures, and have caused plants to specialize and evolve. Accordingly, cultivated crops and humans can be considered
to be in an important coexistent relationship. Even today, agriculture with characteristics that make the most of natural conditions is being expanded
throughout Japan and around the world. These lectures discuss agriculture in terms of ethnobotany, focusing on the relationships between people and
plants in Japan and international regions and the history thereof.
The lectures are delivered in a relay style, providing content that leverages each instructor’s academic and research field and their experience of
investigations on the ground to date. The regions that are covered are spread around the world; however, we also discuss the geographical conditions
and food culture formed by nature in Shinshū.

ethnobotany, useful plant, crop, food culture, agricultural culture

1. Orientation: What is ethnobotany? The roots and history of vegetables (Matsushima Ken’ichi)
2. The traditional vegetables of Japan and Shinshū (Matsushima Ken’ichi)
3. The buckwheat of Japan and Shinshū (Matsushima Ken’ichi)
4. The roots and history of red pepper (Matsushima Ken’ichi)
5. Shinshū flax and specialization (Nemoto Kazuhiro)
6. Amaranthus, the crop tossed about by history (Nemoto Kazuhiro)
7. The mochi quality of crops and food culture (Nemoto Kazuhiro)
8. The qualities of fruits and their unique properties (Hamauzu Yasunori)
9. Uses of fruits seen in culture and history (1): Chinese quince and quince (Hamauzu Yasunori)
10. Uses of fruits seen in culture and history (2): The science of persimmons and persimmon tannin (Hamauzu Yasunori)
11. The plants and food culture of Africa (Suzuki Kanako)
12. The agricultural culture of Africa (Suzuki Kanako)
13. The use and culture of cereals in Asia (1) (Matsuura Asana)
14. The use and culture of cereals in Asia (2) (Matsuura Asana)
15. The future of the Earth, agricultural science, and ethnobotany; class questionnaire (Matsuura Asana)
The class is held in a relay style across the above 15 sessions. Students submit a short report each session to demonstrate the level of their understanding of the lecture
content. A final report is to be submitted, through which outcomes will be evaluated using the following method.

Syllabus (Japanese site only)