Wild edible plants of Israel and Palestine

Wild edible plants and fungi in the regions of Israel and Palestine have been used to sustain life in periods of scarcity and famine,[1][2] or else simply used as a supplementary food source[3] for additional nourishment and pleasure.

[4][2] The diverse flora of Israel and Palestine offers a wide range of plants suitable for human consumption, many of which have a long history of usage in the daily cuisines of its native peoples.

[citation needed] The local population has, traditionally and in various times of its settlement, made use of these plants, which they gathered for human consumption, whether to be eaten fresh or by steeping them in hot water, or by cooking, or by making use of them as a spice or condiment.

German orientalist Gustaf Dalman (1855–1941) stated of foraging in Palestine, "[as] for all plants, the young growths of spring are used; for the thistles usually only the core and the stem.

[211] Still, wild edible fruit trees are plenteous all throughout Israel and Palestine, of which these are the most common in their geographic regions: