{"id":101648,"date":"2025-10-21T16:24:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=101648"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:24:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:24:22","slug":"rediscovering-forgotten-flavours-university-of-pretoria-revives-indigenous-crops-for-food-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/rediscovering-forgotten-flavours-university-of-pretoria-revives-indigenous-crops-for-food-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Rediscovering Forgotten Flavours: University of Pretoria Revives Indigenous Crops for Food Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read | 21 October 2025 | 16:16 CAT<\/em><\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udcf8 Indigenous golden sage in bloom, one of South Africa\u2019s resilient native herbs being revived by University of Pretoria researchers for its flavour and environmental benefits. Image: Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

As the world grapples with hunger, climate change, and a growing dependence on industrialised agriculture, researchers at the University of Pretoria are turning their attention to what has long been overlooked: indigenous or \u201corphan\u201d crops. These forgotten plants, once a staple in African diets, could hold the key to future food security and biodiversity restoration.<\/p>\n

Dr Hennie Fisher, Culinary Arts Lecturer in the Department of Consumer and Food Sciences, is leading research that seeks to reintroduce nutrient-rich plants such as the African wild rosemary<\/em> and golden sage<\/em> back into kitchens and diets. \u201cWe\u2019re saying that the broader commercial world has forgotten them,\u201d Dr Fisher explained in an interview on Radio Islam International<\/a>.<\/em> \u201cThere\u2019s not just one green vegetable to eat, there are plenty that one can eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Industrial agriculture, she added, has narrowed global crop diversity to a handful of high-yield crops such as maize and wheat. \u201cThese crops are well-established and profitable, but we can\u2019t keep feeding a whole planet with just a few plant materials when there are so many more that we can choose from,\u201d said Fisher.<\/p>\n

Her research goes beyond the laboratory and into the kitchen. By working with junior culinary students, the project explores how local herbs can be used as substitutes for Western varieties. \u201cWe asked students to experiment with golden sage<\/em>, the indigenous version of the culinary herb. Many found it a bit harsh and invasive in flavour, but that\u2019s about exposure,\u201d she noted. \u201cIt\u2019s about training the palate to experience new textures and flavours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Fisher calls this concept the \u201cblending of the plate\u201d – diversifying what we eat to reflect the biodiversity around us. \u201cIf every single day the plate of food is the same, your palate becomes accustomed to those few ingredients. We want to open that palate, to invite curiosity and experimentation,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

The long-term vision, she says, is to shift consumer habits first, then influence supply chains. \u201cWhen consumers start asking for these indigenous options, supermarkets and producers will respond. That\u2019s how biodiversity makes its way back into our food systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Environmentally, these indigenous crops offer resilience, thriving with minimal cultivation and adapting naturally to local climates. \u201cIf we encourage people to plant them, even just for home use, we reduce strain on commercial farming and reconnect with sustainable food traditions,\u201d Dr Fisher concluded.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim<\/em><\/a> with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat and Dr Hennie Fisher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read | 21 October 2025 | 16:16 CAT As the world grapples with hunger, climate change, and a growing dependence on industrialised agriculture, researchers at the University of Pretoria are turning their attention to what has long been overlooked: indigenous or \u201corphan\u201d crops. These forgotten plants, once a staple in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":101649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-21-161906.jpg?fit=861%2C572&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-qru","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-18 01:42:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}