The first historical record on the use of wild edible plants as foods in Korea involves sswuk and manul concerned with the mythology of Tangun. Numerous names of wild vegetables had been recorded in various ancient books. Wild edible plants are of great value as food resources and for domestication, since they have variable edible portions and quite a long picking season. Several kinds of wild edible plants have been already grown as vegetable crops. Doragi (Platycodon grandiflorum) is probably the one with the longest history of cultivation. During World War II, an attempt had been made to substitute vegetable crops for wild edible plants. As picking wild greens requires a great deal of labor and plants of wild growth are limited in the amount, domestication of wild vegetables as crops appears to be an urgent need for securing food resources in Korea.

• 이미순 | LeeKim, Mie-Soon