Gathering food: valorizing a cultural practice

"Foraging" or "gathering", understood as the act of searching for, gathering, and harvesting various roots, leaves, seeds, algae, and small shore mollusks, maintains its relevance in the kitchens of the 21st century, as we continue to cook and consume a significant number of foods derived from gathering. The origin of these foods can be direct or involving of a lengthy chain of intermediaries that add value to the products but also detach the end consumer from the cultural significance of this practice. In this regard, the role of women gatherers is also rendered invisible, thereby relegating the transmission of this knowledge to the familiar and domestic realm. Since collecting is an intrinsic practice tied to specific territories, we acknowledge shared knowledge and values within this activity, which currently lacks documentation and territorial-level research. The following text outlines the methodology and primary outcomes of the project "La recolección: valorización de una práctica cultural".