Edible lichens are lichens that have a cultural history of use as a food. Although almost all

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.wolf lichen, powdered sunshine lichen, and the ground lichen), not all have a cultural history of usage as an edible lichen. Often lichens are merely famine foods eaten in times of dire needs, but in some cultures lichens are a staple food or even a delicacy.

Uses

Although there are many lichen species throughout the world, only a few species of lichen are known to be both edible and provide any nutrition. Two problems often encountered with eating lichens is that they usually contain mildly toxic secondary compounds, and that lichen polysaccharides are generally indigestible to humans. Many human cultures have discovered preparation techniques to overcome these problems. Lichens are often thoroughly washed, boiled, or soaked in ash water to help remove secondary compounds. Recent analytics within the field have identified 15 kinds of edible lichen, which have been mostly found in China. Due to its rubbery consistency, individuals within China fry, boil, and pressure-cook edible lichens. Further, edible lichens can be made into beverages such as tea. In the past Iceland moss (''Cetraria islandica'') was an important human food in northern Europe and Scandinavia, and was cooked in many different ways, such as bread, porridge, pudding, soup, or salad. ''

Bryoria fremontii ''Bryoria fremontii'' is a dark brown, horsehair lichen that grows hanging from trees in western North America, and northern Europe and Asia. It grows abundantly in some areas, and is an important traditional food for a few First Nations in Nor ...

'' was an important food in parts of North America, where it was usually pitcooked. It is even featured in a Secwepemc story.

Reindeer lichen ''Cladonia rangiferina'', also known as reindeer cup lichen, reindeer lichen (cf. Sw. ''renlav'') or grey reindeer lichen, is a light-colored fruticose, cup lichen species in the family Cladoniaceae. It grows in both hot and cold climates in we ...

(''Cladonia'' spp.) is a staple food of reindeer and caribou in the Arctic. Northern peoples in North America and Siberia traditionally eat the partially digested lichen after they remove it from the

rumen The rumen, also known as a paunch, is the largest stomach compartment in ruminants and the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. The rumen's microbial favoring environment allow ...

of caribou that have been killed. It is often called 'stomach icecream'.

Rock tripe Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

(''Umbilicaria'' spp. and ''Lasalia'' spp.) is a lichen that has frequently been used as an emergency food in North America. One species of ''Umbilicaria'', Iwa-take (''U. esculenta''), is used in a variety of traditional Korean and Japanese foods. It is quite expensive, and is collected off the sides of cliffs. In India, The Middle East, and Niger, ''Rimelia reticulata'', ''Ramalina conduplicans'', and ''

Parmotrema tinctorum ''Parmotrema tinctorum'' is a lichen which belongs to the ''Parmotrema ''Parmotrema'' is a genus of lichen belonging to the family Parmeliaceae. It is a large genus, containing an estimated 300 species, with a centre of diversity in subtrop ...

'' are used as spices and flavor enhancers. Spices and flavor enhancer are made through a process in which the edible lichens are dehydrated. The dehydrated lichen is then processed and made into specific spices and flavor enhancers. In India, ''

Parmotrema perlatum ''Parmotrema perlatum'', commonly known as black stone flower, is a species of lichen used as a spice in India. The species occurs throughout the temperate Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Typically used in meat dishes like nihari (paaya), Bom ...

'' lichen is a popular ingredient of many spice mixes, such as

garam masala Garam masala Hindustani_language.html"_;"title="rom_Hindustani_language">Hindustani_/_(''garm_masala'',_"hot_spices")is_a_Spice_mix.html" ;"title="Hindustani language">Hindustani / (''garm masala'', "hot spices")">Hindustani_language.html" ;"tit ...

, ''

kaala masala Kaala masala is a spice mixture (masala) from the Maharashtra state of India. The Maharashtra region has a variety of masalas which distinguish Maharashtrian food from other aromas and flavours of India. Stronger and spicier flavours are significant ...

'' and ''goda masala'', ''bhojwar masala'' from

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

and ''potli masala'' of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. The lichen is usually described as lacking a specific flavor or aromas by cooks, but via various cooking techniques it contributes to a rich aromatic profile and umami taste of many dishes.

Limbu Limbu may refer to: * Limbu people, an indigenous tribe living in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan ** Rambahadur Limbu (born 1939), Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross * Limbu language * Limbu script ** Limbu (Unicode block) Limbu is a Unicod ...

and Rai people of northern Indian subcontinent consider several lichen species (with ''Everniastrum cirrhatum,'' ''Everniastrum nepalense'', and ''Parmotrema cetratum'' being the preferred species) a delicacy and bulking agent. Ethnobotanists name the Limbu and

Sherpa people The Sherpa are one of the Tibetan ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Himalayas. The term ''sherpa'' or ''sherwa'' derives from the Sherpa language words ("east") ...

as most ''lichenophilic'' in the region, compared to

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

, Chhetri and Tamang people. Sargyangma, a kind of sausage made up of minced pork, pork intestines, pork fat, pork’s blood, eggs, lichen, rice and spices is the most popular Limbu dish.Subba, J. (2008) ''History, Culture and Customs of Sikkim'', Gyan, p.133

List of edible lichen

Examples of edible lichen, grouped by their families, include: '' Cladoniaceae'' * '' Cladonia rangiferina'' — reindeer lichen (primarily in areas of

alpine tundra Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated alpine climate, harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alp ...

) * '' Cladonia evansii'' ''

Parmeliaceae The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2700 species in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: '' Xanthoparmelia'' ( 822 ...

'' * ''

Cetraria islandica ''Cetraria islandica'', also known as true Iceland lichen or Iceland moss, is an Arctic-alpine lichen whose erect or upright, leaflike habit gives it the appearance of a moss, where its name likely comes from. Description It is often of a pale ...

'' — Iceland moss (

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

) * ''

'' — wila * '' Parmelia perlata'' — kalpasi or black stone flower (throughout

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

Northern and Southern hemispheres) '' Ramalinaceae'' * ''

Ramalina farinacea ''Ramalina farinacea'' is an epiphytic bushy shaped (fruticose) lichen common to areas with Mediterranean, subtropical, or temperate climates. It is in the genus ''Ramalina'' of the family Ramalinaceae.Two ''Trebouxia'' algae with different phy ...

'' — farinose cartilage lichen * '' Ramalina conduplicans'' ''

Umbilicariaceae The Umbilicariaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the Ascomycota. Species of this family are known from a variety of climates, including temperate, boreal, austral, and warmer montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of m ...

'' * ''

Umbilicaria Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

'' — rock tripe

References

{{reflist, 22em, refs= {{cite book , editor-last=Etkin , editor-first=Nina L. , year=1994 , title=Eating on the Wild Side: The Pharmacologic, Ecologic and Social Implications of Using Noncultigens , publisher=University of Arizona Press , location=Tucson , isbn=0-8165-1369-4 , page=68 {{cite web , title=Reindeer moss , series=Edible ''Cladonia'' – Whats not to lichen? , website=Eat the Weeds , date=31 August 2011 , url=http://www.eattheweeds.com/edible-cladonia-whats-not-to-lichen-2/ , access-date=23 February 2021 {{cite web , title=Lichens – Did you know? , series=Wildflowers , publisher=

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

, department=

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

, url=https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/lichens/didyouknow.shtml , access-date=23 February 2021 {{cite book , author=Angier, Bradford , year=1974 , title=Field Guide to Edible Plants , isbn=9780811720182 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8TqkPYXOR4C&pg=PA106 , via=Google Books {{cite book , author=Wiseman, J. , author-link=Lofty Wiseman , year=2014 , orig-year=1986 , title= The SAS Survival Handbook , edition=3nd , place=London, UK , publisher= Collins Harvill , isbn=978-006238671-7 {{cite journal , last1=Bhattarai, Thakur P.D. , last2=Subba, Dilip , last3=Subba, R. , date=May 1999 , title=Nutritional value of some edible lichens of East Nepal , journal=Angewandte Botanik , volume=73 , issue=1 , pages=11–14 , url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295957024

Lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Lichenology Lichens and humans

Uses

List of edible lichen

See also

References