Transnational cultural identity through everyday practices of foraging and consuming local wild plants among Vietnamese migrants in Japan and Germany

Abstract

Wild plant consumption confronts a decline in terms of natural resources, traditional knowledge and mainstream engagement, despite efforts to integrate it into global diets. However, migrants, whose culinary traditions and lifestyle are often grounded in foraging practices, represent an underexplored resource in this regard. Therefore, the study aims to explore the dynamics behind migrants gathering and consuming wild edible plants in their host environments and how their related food knowledge is transferred and reproduced in this new milieu. Based on 36 semi-structured interviews and ethnobotanical participant observation conducted during 2021–2023, the paper focuses on everyday foraging practices among Vietnamese migrants in Japan and Germany. The results reveal that foraging practices are driven by migrants' aspirations to create a sense of place through daily interaction with local, seasonal, and wild plants that often substitute for culturally significant ingredients in their home cuisine. As settlement progresses, migrant's foraging valuation gradually shifts toward intrinsic meanings, including cultural continuity, welfare maintenance, and social connections, rather than culinary imperatives. This integration of migrant traditions and utilization of oft-neglected plant species also contributes to biocultural diversity, facilitating migrant community building and the resurgence of wild cuisine.