“If there’s no dill, the taste isn’t right!” A comparison of food plant knowledge between Polish and German descendants in the context of an imagined culinary community in Brazil

Food is a cultural marker investigated by several fields of knowledge. The ecological approach to food plants used in human societies can give us insights into food biodiversity and its connection to cultural identity. In our work, we investigate plant knowledge as part of an imagined culinary community among Polish and German descendants in Santa Catarina, Brazil. We interviewed Polish and German descendants and used an ecological analytical approach to discuss patterns of known plants mediated by culture. One hundred years after immigration, we found that ethnic food-centered memories remain. Polish and German descendants share most resources cited, while the difference between plants’ use lies in the ethnic memories and food preparation. There is a tendency to acculturate ingredients and tastes by immigrants descendants, using native species to recreate dishes. This scenario, which joins native plants’ knowledge and ethnic memories, provides an excellent opportunity to maintain local biocultural diversity in urbanized environments.