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      Title: Pettu and Famine Food in Norway
 Categories: Wild, Misc
      Yield: 1 info file
 
           Tree bark
 
  In Norway, cambium was used as a famine food to make barkebroed
  (bark bread). In fact the word barkebroedtid (bark bread time) is
  more or less synonymous with bad times (famine). It seems that elm
  (Ulmus) was reckoned to yield the best cambium, but in areas where
  the famine would have hit the worst, i.e., in the mountains and
  inland, elm wasn't available (as it grows mostly near the coast)
  and Pinus sylvestris was the most used species. According to the
  records Norway Spruce (Picea) was also sometimes used.

  It was usually mixed with other flours - rye, barley and oats and
  made into flatbread, sometimes porridge. Lime (Tilia) was also
  sometimes used and I also have undocumented references to rowan,
  whitebeam (Sorbus spp.), Birch (Betula) and Willow (Salix) being
  used. There are occasionally demonstrations of barkebrod-making
  here and there in Norway - (un)fortunately, I have missed out so
  far, but must try myself sooner or later.

  In addition, Iceland Moss (Cetraria islandica) was also much used
  in hard times to eke out the flour - that I have tried and thought
  it was very tasty.
  
  Another food which was very important for at least one mountain
  village in Norway in one famine was Polygonum viviparum (Harerug -
  Hare Rye) - large amounts of the roots of this plant were
  collected from the mountains near this village helping them to
  survive the winter, whereas in another village not too far away
  (who were unaware of this food plant) many people died. We collect
  the "seed" of this plant (not really seed) every year and use
  it on bread (like poppy seed) and use it often as a trail snack.
  
  Stephen B @ broadpark.No
 
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