Community Conserved Traditional Cuisine Arts in Borena Zone, Ethiopia

摘要

Traditional knowledge (TK) refers to knowledge, innovations, and practices of local communities in globe. Documentation of TK helps to identify local community with whom benefit of commercialization of such knowledge is to be shared. This study aimed to document traditional knowledge associated with food and beverage preparation in Borena Zone of Oromia Region. The data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. Informants were recommended by district's Culture and Tourism offices. Preparation method, ingredients, mode of preparation, current status, and purpose of preparation were the focus point of data collection. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 21. A total of 64 individuals (25 men and 39 women); aged 17 to 78 with mean age of 40.00 15.44 years were recruited. The minimum, maximum, and average years they lived in the study area were 17, 78, and 40.00 15.44, respectively. Findings revealed that a total of eleven traditional foods and drinks were listed by respondents: Yabelo nine (six traditional foods and three traditional drinks); Dire nine (six traditional foods and three traditional drinks); and Arero six (four traditional foods and two traditional drinks). Salting, drying, boiling, toasting, frying, baking, cooking, and fermentation are the major practices that were used by the community to prepare their local foods or drinks. Informants prepare the foods/beverages customarily during public holidays such as memorial days and birth day; and occasionally for wedding ceremony, funeral, visiting respected relatives, and for respected invitee. Economic problems, urbanization, and benefiting modernization were claimed by informants that these are determinant factors to prepare traditional foods/beverages frequently at home. To conclude, there is great gap in using traditional knowledge associate with foods and beverages preparation in Ethiopia. There should be special emphasis to optimize preparation procedures through modern biotechnology and promote for commercialization access for modern companies to share benefits arising from the utilization.