Dear reader,

The title of the book you are holding in your hands is composed of two Slovene words. Ajda and pratika.

Ajda means buckwheat, the plant-food we dedicated our attention and research to. Ajda is a plant and food which characterizes the vernacular (food)culture of Slovenia since it thrived on its landscapes from the 15th century onwards and was slowly abandoned during the 20th century. Through this publication, we invite you to take a new perspective toward this plant-food and to discover why buckwheat is beneficial for our bodies and for the environment.

Pratika is a term which defines a specific type of almanack, very common in Slovenia. The structure and content of old pratike inspired our research and moved us to pro- pose a publication which follows some essential features of old pratike. As calendars in the shape of a book, pratike contained useful information about agriculture, the cycle of seasons and moons but they also included poems, stories, riddles and sayings. We tried to imagine what a super vernacular pratika would look like and how its interpretation could lead to new reflections on a specific plant-food, in our case buckwheat. -Publisher

Contributors: Dora Ciccone, Elena Braida, Elena Rucli, Francesca Lucchitta, Kim Lang, Janja Šušnjar, Vida Rucli, Vid Skrbinšek