Cereal crops as a percentage of the total area of crops harvested (hectares) in Europe (EU27 and wider Europe), 2022. Data source: FAOSTAT, 2024. 2022 is the most recent year for available data. Credit: Archaeometry (2025). DOI: 10.1111/arcm.13073

The DIVERSICROP COST Action is working to harness the potential of underutilized crops to promote sustainable food production. Europe’s need for sustainable, nutritious food puts overlooked crops like rye and legumes, which are key for healthier diets, into the spotlight. DIVERSICROP addresses this, reviving neglected crops by understanding their ancient history, current germplasm and limitations, and policy engagement.

This network is committed not only to their scientific work but also to making scientific knowledge accessible. And what better way to engage non-experts than through food, an internationally understood language that transcends cultural, linguistic, and social barriers?

With an ongoing project to collect recipes for dishes, DIVERSICROP wants to show how rye, pea, and chickpea are used in kitchens across Europe (and beyond). From old family favorites to bold new creations, this is where tradition meets creativity and where science communication takes on a whole new approach.

We catch up with Marija from the University of Belgrade, Chair of the DIVERSICROP Working Group on nutrition, to learn more about the project:

Where did the idea for a DIVERSICROP cookbook come from?

We wanted to create a product that would help promote three underutilized crops of particular interest to us: peas, rye, and chickpeas. The idea is to demonstrate how these foods were used in the past and how they can be incorporated into everyday diets today, making a meaningful link between traditional and modern dietary habits.

Why did you want to develop such a product?

Our aim is to highlight the potential of these underused crops and inspire people to rediscover them in their kitchens. By showing practical ways of using them, we hope to encourage healthier and more sustainable food choices.

What are the most common underused crops that we could start to introduce into our everyday cooking?

This depends somewhat on the region, but we particularly want to encourage the wider use of chickpeas, peas, and rye, along with other plants that have been forgotten or rarely used.

• Chickpeas: a nutrient-dense superfood with global culinary appeal.
• Peas: packed with protein and a key ingredient in plant-based diets.
• Rye: thrives in harsh climates and supports soil health.

For example, rye (Secale cereale) has a long history of cultivation in Europe, yet is underutilized owing to complex historical, socio-cultural, socio-political, socio-economic and agronomic factors. Rye bread was a staple across Europe, sustaining communities with its rich nutritional profile and resilience to harsh climates. Yet today, it is vanishing from our diets, replaced by more commercially dominant crops.

The first DIVERSICROP paper, “Underutilised crops in Europe: An interdisciplinary approach towards sustainable practice,” published in Archaeometry, demonstrates that Europe produces more than 85% of the world’s rye harvest (12.8 million tons in 2019), where rye is cultivated for food, animal feed and the malting industries. But despite Europe’s status as a hotspot for rye production, it is not a staple food across the region.

While rye is still a major bread cereal in Poland, Hungary, Germany, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, it plays a minor role in human foods in many other areas (such as Greece, Spain, Ireland, the U.K. and Belgium). Rye consumption in Europe and beyond is also decreasing even though the crop is adapted to harsh climates, is drought-tolerant, has increased health benefits compared to other cereals, and works excellently as a cover crop to improve soil health.

As DIVERISCROP asks the question “Why is this crop now underutilized?” they work to unlock and harmonize data across borders and disciplines to enable researchers, farmers, food businesses and policymakers to access and navigate valuable data and make evidence-informed decisions.

What has been the response to the call for recipes so far?

The response has been very positive. We are pleased with the number of people who have shown interest and contributed their ideas and recipes. This year, we are focusing on collecting recipes, while next year, we will move on to producing the cookbook itself. At this stage, contributions are still welcome, especially recipes that feature forgotten crops or come from underrepresented cultural traditions.

Did you mix chickpeas with something unexpected? Invent a modern twist with rye or peas? Is your recipe something passed down through generations? A classic from your region? A dish that tells a story? Surprise us—the more creative, the better!

The recipes are from the four agroclimatic regions—what are these and what should we know about them?

The four agroclimatic regions reflect differences in dietary habits and in the environmental conditions for growing certain plants. By including recipes from all these regions, we are able to capture a wide variety of culinary traditions while also showing the importance of adapting food choices to local climates and available resources.

How can public engagement and science communication projects like this improve knowledge of your field?

Projects like this cookbook are an important way to connect scientific research with everyday life. They help raise awareness about underutilized crops, make scientific knowledge accessible, and promote wider adoption of sustainable food practices.

More information: Meriel McClatchie et al, Underutilised crops in Europe: An interdisciplinary approach towards sustainable practices, Archaeometry (2025). DOI: 10.1111/arcm.13073

Provided by European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST)

Citation: Q&A: A cookbook to bring underused crops to the kitchen (2025, November 3) retrieved 3 November 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-11-qa-cookbook-underused-crops-kitchen.html

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