Edible Map of Migration

Many urban, migrating, wild edible plants – growing on abandoned parkland, on wasteland and appearing in the cracks of pavements – are very valuable in terms of nutrition and healing. Among them are many species classified as invasive, which are either placed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) register or the One Hundred of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species list (part of the Global Invasive Species Database). The decision regarding their classification is sometimes arbitrary – a non-native species may be considered invasive and therefore foreign and harmful to the local environment, economy and health, or alternatively, considered as valuable and included in areas of local biodiversity.

The edible map of migration is a culinary performance offering an antidote to fears relating to migration and (bio)diversity. On the menu are migrating wild plants, including: Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed), Rosa rugosa (Japanese wild rose) and Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust). The dishes/experiments trace the migration history of wild edible plants, the impact of human activity on the migration of species, and register information from the media, official and unofficial scientific discourse surrounding the different species.

The result of an expedition in search of surprising, unnoticed, forgotten, rarely used natural urban food resources, The Edible Map of Migration transforms the daily ritual of preparing a meal into a critical community experience, inspired to reflect on how politics shapes nature and defines the nutritional system and vice versa – how food-related choices affect the shape of the world. 

The chef: Joanna Gawrońska-Kula