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Greece has lots of land that's either too steep for humans to walk on, or too rocky to grow anything but grass on, or both. As a result, traditional Greek cuis
by danielheath 3y ago
Greece has lots of land that's either too steep for humans to walk on, or too rocky to grow anything but grass on, or both.
As a result, traditional Greek cuisine has lots of lamb and goat meat.
- myshpa 3y agoPag in Croatia too ... it's called "island of paski cheese" iirc ... it's mostly rocky desert with patches of grass and herds of islands and goats, but leave the island and suddenly the landscape is green and lush. "Historically, Pag had more forested areas than it does today. The island used to be covered with oak and pine forests, but due to centuries of human activity, including grazing, deforestation, and the collection of firewood, much of the original forest cover has been reduced. Over time, the vegetation has adapted to the island's specific conditions, such as strong winds and limited freshwater sources." The land is rocky to grow anything on exactly because of those lambs and goats. They don't give the land the change to reforest. We tend to underestimate the damage that has already been done before we came here.
- myshpa 3y agoherds of sheep and goats, chance to reforest
- danielheath 3y ago> The land is rocky to grow anything on exactly because of those lambs and goats. Are you suggesting that ruminants transport rocks to the site?
- myshpa 3y agoRuminants deplete the vegetation on the land, leading to erosion caused by wind and water, which gradually erodes the top layer of soil, leaving behind only large rocks.
- danielheath 3y agoThere are ruminants in plenty of other places without the land becoming inhospitable to most plants, though, so that's not a sufficient explanation (although I can clearly see how it contributes).
- myshpa 3y agoMy previous comment: "including grazing, deforestation, and the collection of firewood" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316721412_Blame_it_on_the_goats_Desertification_in_the_Near_East_during_the_Holocene https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316721412_Blame_it_... "The authors analyze archaeological and ecological evidence to understand the relationship between human populations, goat herding, and land degradation. They argue that the widespread adoption of goat herding practices played a significant role in the process of desertification. Goats are known to be browsers, preferring to consume a variety of vegetation, including shrubs and trees. This selective feeding behavior, combined with the increasing human population and expansion of agricultural practices, led to the overgrazing of vegetation and subsequent soil erosion. The paper highlights that the degradation of vegetation cover and loss of soil fertility had cascading effects on the ecosystem. Reduced vegetation cover resulted in increased exposure of soil to wind and water erosion, leading to the expansion of arid and desert regions. The loss of vegetation also had a detrimental impact on biodiversity, as many plant and animal species dependent on these ecosystems faced habitat destruction and population decline."
- CalRobert 3y agoAnd what would be there if we didn't have sheep and goats there?
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- contingencies 3y agoCorn does well on rocky and steep terrain.