Sorrel


Sorrel is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is also called common sorrel, garden sorrel, spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock.
The species is native to Eurasia and a common plant in grassland habitats. It is often cultivated as a leaf vegetable or herb.

Description

Sorrel is a slender herbaceous perennial plant about high, with roots that run deep into the ground, as well as juicy stems and arrow-shaped leaves which grow from a rosette. The lower leaves are in length with long petioles and a membranous ocrea formed of fused, sheathing stipules. The upper leaves are sessile, and frequently become crimson.
The plant has whorled spikes of reddish-green flowers, which bloom in early summer, becoming purplish. The species is dioecious, with stamens and pistils on different plants.

Subspecies

Several subspecies have been named. Not all are cultivated.
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. acetosa
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. ambiguus
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. arifolius
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. hibernicus
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. hirtulus
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. ''vinealis''

    Distribution and habitat

Rumex acetosa occurs in grassland habitats throughout Europe from the northern Mediterranean coast to the north of Scandinavia and in parts of Central Asia. It occurs as an introduced species in parts of New Zealand, Australia, and North America. It can grow in poor soil.

Ecology

The leaves are eaten by the larvae of several species of Lepidoptera including the blood-vein moth, aphids and by non-specialized snails and slugs.

Uses

Common sorrel has been cultivated for centuries. The leaves are edible when young but toughen with age; they may be puréed in soups and sauces or added to salad. The young shoots are edible as well, these and the leaves both being high in vitamin C and having a lemony flavor.
In India, the leaves are used in soups or curries made with yellow lentils and peanuts. In Afghanistan, the leaves are coated in a wet batter and deep fried, then served as an appetizer or if in season during Ramadan, for breaking the fast. In Armenia, the leaves are collected in spring, woven into braids, and dried for use during winter. The most common preparation is aveluk soup, where the leaves are rehydrated and rinsed to reduce bitterness, then stewed with onions, potatoes, walnuts, garlic and bulgur wheat or lentils, and sometimes sour plums.
Throughout eastern Europe, wild or garden sorrel is used to make sour soups, stewed with vegetables or herbs, meat or eggs. In rural Greece, it is used with spinach, leeks, and chard in spanakopita.
"Escalope de saumon à l'oseille", invented in 1962 by the Troisgros brothers, is an emblematic dish of French nouvelle cuisine. French cuisine traditionally cooks fish with sorrel because its acidity dissolves thin fish bones.
In the Caribbean, the term "sorrel" refers to a type of sweet hibiscus tea commonly made from the African roselle flower, unrelated to the Eurasian sorrel herb.