Wild edible plants

Before foraging

• 100% identification: never eat a plant unless you are absolutely certain of its identity
• Learn before an emergency: practise identification now, not when you are hungry and stressed
• Use multiple identification features: leaf shape alone is not enough. Check stem, flowers, smell, habitat, and season
• Start with easy species: begin with plants that have no dangerous lookalikes (e.g. carob, fennel)
• Small portions first: even correctly identified plants can cause allergic reactions. Try a small amount and wait 24 hours

Where to forage

• Avoid roadsides: plants absorb exhaust fumes and heavy metals
• Avoid treated areas: fields, parks, and gardens may be sprayed with pesticides or herbicides
• Avoid contaminated water: do not harvest plants near polluted streams or drains
• Wash everything: rinse in clean water before eating, even in the wild
• Respect the law: foraging in nature reserves or protected areas may be restricted
• Sustainable harvesting: never take more than a third of any plant stand. Leave enough for regeneration and wildlife

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

PT: Beldroega

• Where: gardens, fields, roadsides, cracks in pavements. Extremely common in summer
• Identification: succulent, reddish stems, small fleshy oval leaves, tiny yellow flowers
• Nutrition: rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, and iron. One of the most nutritious wild plants
• How to eat: raw in salads, sauteed with garlic, added to soups. Traditional in Portuguese cuisine

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

PT: Dente-de-leao

• Where: lawns, fields, roadsides, meadows. Available year-round
• Identification: jagged (toothed) leaves in a rosette, yellow flower heads, milky sap in stems
• Nutrition: vitamins A, C, K, iron, and calcium
• How to eat: young leaves raw in salads (older leaves are bitter, boil to reduce bitterness), roots can be roasted as a coffee substitute, flowers can be made into tea

Sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)

PT: Serralha

• Where: gardens, disturbed ground, walls, fields. Very common throughout Portugal
• Identification: milky sap, soft spiny-edged leaves, small yellow dandelion-like flowers
• Nutrition: vitamin C, calcium, iron
• How to eat: young leaves raw or cooked. Traditional vegetable in Portuguese rural cooking. Older leaves should be boiled

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

PT: Urtiga

• Where: moist, shaded areas, riverbanks, woodland edges
• Identification: heart-shaped, serrated leaves covered in stinging hairs. Grows up to 1.5 m
• Nutrition: exceptionally rich in iron, calcium, vitamin A, and protein
• How to eat: always cook (boiling destroys the stinging hairs). Use gloves to harvest. Excellent in soups, as a spinach substitute, or dried for tea

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

PT: Azeda

• Where: meadows, pastures, woodland clearings
• Identification: arrow-shaped leaves, reddish stems, sour taste (oxalic acid)
• Nutrition: vitamin C, potassium
• How to eat: young leaves raw in salads or cooked in soups. Eat in moderation due to oxalic acid content (avoid if you have kidney stones)

Acorn (Quercus spp.)

PT: Bolota

• Where: cork oak and holm oak forests (montados), widespread in southern and central Portugal
• Identification: oval nuts in a cup-shaped cap, from oak trees
• Nutrition: high in carbohydrates and fat. Calorie-dense survival food
• How to eat: must be leached first to remove tannins (soak in water for several days, changing water daily, or boil repeatedly). Ground into flour for bread or porridge

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua)

PT: Alfarroba

• Where: Algarve and southern Portugal. Drought-resistant, common in dry rocky areas
• Identification: evergreen tree, leathery compound leaves, long dark brown pods (ripe in autumn)
• Nutrition: high in natural sugars, fibre, calcium, and iron
• How to eat: pods can be eaten raw when ripe (sweet, chocolate-like flavour). Seeds are very hard and not edible without processing. Pods can be dried and ground into flour

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

PT: Funcho

• Where: roadsides, disturbed ground, coastal areas. Extremely common throughout Portugal
• Identification: tall (up to 2 m), feathery leaves, yellow flower umbels, strong aniseed scent. No dangerous lookalikes when smell is confirmed
• Nutrition: vitamin C, potassium, fibre
• How to eat: leaves raw or cooked, bulb sliced in salads or roasted, seeds for tea. Used in traditional Portuguese fish dishes

Mallow (Malva sylvestris)

PT: Malva

• Where: roadsides, fields, gardens, waste ground. Very common
• Identification: round leaves with 5 to 7 lobes, purple flowers with darker veins
• Nutrition: mucilaginous (soothing for the throat), vitamin A and C
• How to eat: young leaves raw in salads, older leaves cooked in soups (mucilaginous texture thickens broth). Flowers are edible. Traditionally used as a medicinal tea in Portugal

Wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius)

PT: Espargos bravos

• Where: Mediterranean scrubland, hedgerows, woodland edges. Spring harvest
• Identification: thin, dark green spears emerging from thorny parent plant. Much thinner than cultivated asparagus
• Nutrition: folate, vitamin K, antioxidants
• How to eat: snap off tender tips, cook as you would regular asparagus. Popular in Portuguese omelettes (migas de espargos)

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

PT: Chicoria

• Where: roadsides, fields, dry grasslands. Distinctive blue flowers in summer
• Identification: rosette of dandelion-like basal leaves, bright blue flowers on tall rigid stems
• Nutrition: inulin (prebiotic fibre), vitamins A and K
• How to eat: young leaves in salads (bitter, similar to endive). Roots can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute (caffeine-free)

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)

PT: Agriao

• Where: streams, springs, wet ditches. Grows in clean running water
• Identification: small, round, dark green leaves on hollow stems. Peppery taste
• Nutrition: exceptionally rich in vitamins A, C, K, calcium, and iron
• How to eat: raw in salads and sandwiches, or cooked in soups. Only harvest from clean water sources (risk of liver fluke in stagnant water near livestock)