Plants used for grilling fish in two ethnic groups in Guizhou, Southwest China

Abstract Background Dong and Miao, two major ethnic groups in Qiandongnan Prefecture of Guizhou Province, China, have practiced an ancient cooking technique, grilling fish or fish barbecue, to boost their spirits and enrich their spiritual life as well. Using a variety of edible plants and fish from the famous rice-fish agricultural ecosystem, they made the grilled fish as sacrificial objects and food for the festivities. The knowledge of plants used for grilling fish has not been studied. Methods Data were collected using direct observation, semi-structured interviews, individual discussions, key informant interviews and focus group discussions administered to 279 informants living in ethnic villages of Congjiang County between September 2017 and March 2019. The fish-grilling plant voucher specimens were collected in the field excursions. The data were analyzed using ethnobotanical descriptive statistics, fidelity level (FL), and the cultural important plants index (CII). In addition, a cultural important plants matrix design was used for comparative analysis of the plant cultural importance among two major ethnic groups. Results A total of 52 plant species in 21 families and 43 genera were recorded as edible plants for fish-grilling. The families Lamiaceae, Apiaceae and Lauraceae were more important sources among all plant groups. Herbaceous plants were the most species for fish-grilling, and leaves were the main part used. Wild edible plants were mainly collected for fish-grilling and a small number of species were from kitchen gardens, such as Coriandrum sativum, Luffa aegyptiaca and Lagenaria siceraria. Both Dong and Miao people had a high-fidelity level towards fish-grilling plants, which some given species received higher cultural important plants index in two groups. The integration of formal education and traditional culture in the local communities is conducive to the transmission of local knowledge. The traditional culture of the Dong and Miao’s fish-grilling was very commonly related. The cultural preference is not particularly strong. Only a few species represent the characteristics of each group. In addition, this traditional barbecue ceremony was related to the ancestor worship of local people. Conclusion The present study is the first systematic ethnobotanical survey of traditional fish grilling knowledge in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China, which shows close relationship between local residents and local plant resources. Results from this study will be helpful to protect agricultural cultural heritage of fish-grilling plants in southeast Guizhou, and provide a basis for the development of new food types.