Ätlig

Ätlig is a Swedish adjective meaning edible. It is used to describe something that can be safely consumed by humans. This term is commonly applied to food items, particularly in contexts where distinguishing between safe and unsafe substances is important, such as in foraging for wild plants or mushrooms.

The concept of "ätlig" is crucial for food safety and culinary practices. When identifying wild edibles, knowledge of which plants and fungi are safe to eat is paramount to avoid poisoning. For example, certain mushrooms are highly poisonous and are therefore not ätlig, while others are a common and safe food source. Similarly, while many plants grow wild, only a subset are ätlig.

In a broader sense, ätlig can also refer to the palatability of food, though its primary meaning relates to safety rather than taste. Something that is ätlig is fundamentally safe for ingestion. The opposite of ätlig is giftig (poisonous) or oätlig (inedible). The determination of whether something is ätlig is often based on scientific classification, traditional knowledge, and established culinary practices.