Sorrel: sour leaves from the meadow – in moderation
Sorrel grows in sunny meadows and tastes pleasantly sour, almost like lemon. A few leaves make soup, salad and simple supplies fresher. The sourness comes from oxalic acid – so you only eat it in small amounts, and some people should avoid it completely. Young leaves can be confused with the poisonous lords-and-ladies. Here you learn the leaf shape, the stem sheath and the site that together give sorrel away.
- Collecting 10–15 minutes; a handful is enough
Explicado de forma sencilla
Sorrel grows in meadows and tastes sour like a lemon. Children sometimes chew a leaf while playing. A few leaves make soup or salad fresh.
The sour acid is called oxalic acid. A little of it does no harm, but a lot of it is not good for the body. So you only eat a few leaves, not a whole bowl.
You recognise sorrel by the leaves that look like an arrowhead with two lobes pointing down, and by a thin little skin on the stem. It grows in the sun. Similar leaves in the shady woods often belong to the poisonous lords-and-ladies – you leave those.
Cómo funciona
Sorrel stores oxalic acid and its salts in its leaves. They give the sour taste and protect the plant from being eaten. In the body oxalic acid can bind calcium, forming poorly soluble crystals. In small amounts that is insignificant for healthy people; in large amounts it can irritate mouth and stomach and favour kidney stones in sensitive people.
That is why two simple tricks help: cooking and pouring away the first cooking water, because part of the soluble oxalic acid passes into the water. And eating sorrel with dairy products, because the calcium binds the acid already in the food.
The papery sheath on the stem is called an ochrea. It is a mark of the knotweed family, which also includes rhubarb – which also contains a lot of oxalic acid, by the way.
Lo que de verdad importa
Site, leaf and sheath must fit together. Sorrel grows in the sun among grasses. The leaf lobes point down towards the stalk. On the stem a thin, translucent cuff sits above each leaf.
Young leaves before flowering are more tender and milder. A handful per meal is completely enough to give freshness to a soup, a salad or herb quark.
Choose clean meadows. Meadows that are heavily fertilised, sprayed or used as dog runs are not good places to collect. Ask the owner before you collect in a meadow.
Seguridad: a qué debes prestar atención
Lords-and-ladies is the most dangerous look-alike. It grows in moist, shady deciduous woods, has veins like a net and often dark spots. Its leaves contain sharp substances that strongly irritate mouth and throat. If a leaf burns in the mouth, spit it out at once and rinse your mouth.
People with kidney stones, kidney disease or gout and small children are better off not eating sorrel. For everyone else: as seasoning in moderation, not daily in large amounts.
With strong symptoms after eating call the poison line, and with breathing problems or swelling in the throat the emergency number 112 or 144.
Paso a paso
Where sorrel grows
Sorrel grows in sunny meadows and pastures, along paths and on banks, often among grasses. In spring you first see rosettes of leaves on the ground; from May reddish flower stems shoot up to about knee height. Collect in meadows that are not heavily fertilised, sprayed or visited by dogs, and ask the owner.
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Where sorrel grows
Sorrel grows in sunny meadows and pastures, along paths and on banks, often among grasses. In spring you first see rosettes of leaves on the ground; from May reddish flower stems shoot up to about knee height. Collect in meadows that are not heavily fertilised, sprayed or visited by dogs, and ask the owner.
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Arrow-shaped leaves
The leaf is elongated, smooth and about as long as a hand. At its lower end it has two pointed lobes pointing downwards, towards the stalk – like the barbs of an arrow. The lower leaves have long stalks; the upper ones on the stem sit almost directly on it and clasp it.
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The papery stem sheath
Look at the place where a leaf sits on the stem. With sorrel a thin, translucent, often brownish skin wraps the stem there like a small cuff. This sheath is typical of the knotweed family to which sorrel belongs.
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Rule out lords-and-ladies
Lords-and-ladies grows in the shade of moist deciduous woods, not in the sunny meadow. Its arrow-shaped leaves stand on long stalks straight out of the ground, the veins form a net, some leaves have dark spots, and there is no papery sheath. It is poisonous, and even a small bite burns fiercely.
If it burns in the mouth: spit it out at once, rinse your mouth.
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Taste as confirmation
Only when site, leaf shape and sheath fit may you chew a small piece: sorrel tastes clearly sour and fresh, not hot or burning. If it burns, it is not sorrel – spit it out. The taste test always comes last.
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Young leaves, small amounts
Pick young leaves before flowering; they are more tender and less sour. Only take a handful for one meal. That is enough for a sour taste and keeps the oxalic acid within healthy limits.
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Preparar
Wash thoroughly. Raw, sorrel tastes good finely cut in salad, herb quark or on bread. For soup you can briefly boil the leaves and pour away the first cooking water, which lowers the oxalic acid. Eating it together with dairy helps because calcium binds the acid.
Errores frecuentes
- Comer cantidades grandes
- Collecting in shady woods where lords-and-ladies grows
- Only looking at the arrow shape
- Collecting on fertilised, sprayed or dog meadows
- Giving children a lot of it
Resumen rápido
Materiales
Cuchillo (de hoja fija o con bloqueo)
O tijeras
Corta alejando el cuchillo de tu cuerpo.
Las normas sobre llevar cuchillos varían según la región: comprueba las normas locales.
Bolsa o cesta de recolección que deje pasar el aire
Recolectar cada especie por separado para que no se mezcle nada desconocido
Nada de bolsas de plástico durante mucho tiempo: las verduras sudan y se estropean
Bolsa de agua apta para uso alimentario
For washing
Úsalo solo para agua potable, nunca para productos químicos ni combustible.
Olla metálica (acero inoxidable, aluminio, titanio)
For soup – pouring away the cooking water lowers the oxalic acid
Caliente: riesgo de quemaduras.
Adecuado para
- April into autumn, young leaves
- A fresh sour taste for soup and salad
- Small amounts as seasoning
No adecuado para
- Large amounts or eating it daily
- Small children, people with kidney stones, kidney disease or gout
- Shady deciduous woods where lords-and-ladies grows
Requisitos previos
- Knowing lords-and-ladies
- Sunny, unfertilised meadows with permission
- No kidney stones, kidney disease or gout
Seguridad
- Sorrel contains oxalic acid. In small amounts that is no problem for healthy people; in large amounts it can irritate mouth and stomach and bind calcium. Eat it as seasoning, not as a main dish. People with kidney stones, kidney disease or gout and small children are better off avoiding it.
- Plants close to the ground can be contaminated with soil, droppings and fox tapeworm eggs. Wash thoroughly or cook, and wash your hands afterwards.
- Do not collect by roads, on sprayed fields, dog meadows or in nature reserves. Only take a handful for yourself, never strip whole stands, and ask first in other people's gardens.
Cómo funciona
Sorrel gives itself away by three things at once: its leaves are arrow-shaped with two pointed lobes that point downwards, there is a thin papery sheath on the stem above each leaf base, and it grows in sunny meadows. The sour taste confirms this at the end – and the acid is also the reason why you only eat a little of it.
Ventajas
- A fresh sour taste without lemons
- Common in meadows
- Long season
- A few leaves are enough
Desventajas
- El ácido oxálico limita la cantidad
- No apto para todas las personas
- A poisonous look-alike in the woods
- Casi sin calorías
Conocimiento en profundidad
Fundamentos técnicos
Sorrel used to be a soup herb in many parts of Europe, and French cooking still knows sorrel soup today. Its German name comes from its sour taste.
Survival manuals such as the US manual FM 3-05.70 point out that plants high in oxalic acid can irritate mouth and throat and should only be eaten in moderation. That applies to sorrel too: it is a seasoning, not a filler.
Variantes
- Sorrel soup
- Blanch a handful of leaves briefly, drain and add to a potato or bread soup. The sourness makes a simple soup fresh.
- Sheep's sorrel
- On poor, sandy soils the smaller sheep's sorrel grows, with narrow leaves whose lobes stick out sideways. It tastes similar and is likewise only eaten in small amounts.
Errores frecuentes
- Comer cantidades grandes
- Collecting in shady woods where lords-and-ladies grows
- Only looking at the arrow shape
- Collecting on fertilised, sprayed or dog meadows
- Giving children a lot of it
Límites y riesgos
- No es una clave de identificación completa
- Vale para Europa central
- Sin promesas de curación
- No exact amounts – when in doubt, less
Alternativas de materiales
Deducido de las propiedades de los materiales: un sustituto debe tener todas las propiedades relevantes. Ten en cuenta las indicaciones sobre el sustituto.
- Bolsa o cesta de recolección que deje pasar el aire
- Olla metálica (acero inoxidable, aluminio, titanio) (Caliente: riesgo de quemaduras.), Botella de acero inoxidable de pared simple (Calienta solo botellas de pared simple, sin pintura ni plástico; quita la tapa antes de calentarla.), Botella térmica de doble pared (Nunca la calientes directamente.), botella de PET (transparente, máx. 2 litros) (No lo calientes ni lo pongas al fuego.), Bidón de agua apto para alimentos (Usa solo recipientes que nunca hayan contenido productos químicos ni combustible.), Recipiente de almacenaje hermético apto para alimentos (Llénalo solo cuando esté limpio y completamente seco; nunca uses recipientes que hayan contenido productos químicos.), Bidón plegable o bolsa para agua (Protégelo de objetos punzantes.), Jarra medidora, Bolsa de agua apta para uso alimentario (Úsalo solo para agua potable, nunca para productos químicos ni combustible.), Frasco o tinaja de fermentación (Usa solo recipientes aptos para alimentos, de vidrio, de gres con esmalte apto para alimentos o de plástico alimentario. No uses recipientes de metal para alimentos ácidos.), Bolsas de alimentos reutilizables con cierre (Usa solo bolsas aptas para alimentos; no las uses con agua hirviendo salvo que el fabricante lo permita expresamente.), Recipiente rígido de recolección (caja, cesta o taza) (Una especie por recipiente: nunca mezcles nada desconocido)
- Bolsa de agua apta para uso alimentario
- Botella de acero inoxidable de pared simple (Calienta solo botellas de pared simple, sin pintura ni plástico; quita la tapa antes de calentarla.), Botella térmica de doble pared (Nunca la calientes directamente.), botella de PET (transparente, máx. 2 litros) (No lo calientes ni lo pongas al fuego.), Bidón de agua apto para alimentos (Usa solo recipientes que nunca hayan contenido productos químicos ni combustible.), Recipiente de almacenaje hermético apto para alimentos (Llénalo solo cuando esté limpio y completamente seco; nunca uses recipientes que hayan contenido productos químicos.), Bidón plegable o bolsa para agua (Protégelo de objetos punzantes.), Frasco o tinaja de fermentación (Usa solo recipientes aptos para alimentos, de vidrio, de gres con esmalte apto para alimentos o de plástico alimentario. No uses recipientes de metal para alimentos ácidos.), Bolsas de alimentos reutilizables con cierre (Usa solo bolsas aptas para alimentos; no las uses con agua hirviendo salvo que el fabricante lo permita expresamente.)
- Olla metálica (acero inoxidable, aluminio, titanio)
- Botella de acero inoxidable de pared simple (Calienta solo botellas de pared simple, sin pintura ni plástico; quita la tapa antes de calentarla.)
Los resultados proceden exclusivamente de entradas estructuradas. No se genera ninguna instrucción improvisada.
Fuentes (5)
- Headquarters, Department of the Army (USA) (2002): FM 3-05.70 Survival · Plants high in oxalic acid irritate mouth and throat; eat only in moderation; only eat reliably identified wild plants
- Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) (2017): Risiko Pflanze – Einschätzung und Hinweise · Lords-and-ladies as a poisonous plant in woods and gardens
- Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR): Giftpflanzen: Wie kann man sich schützen und was ist bei einer Vergiftung zu tun? (Fragen und Antworten) · Confusion of edible with poisonous wild plants; what to do in case of poisoning
- Robert Koch-Institut: RKI-Ratgeber Echinokokkose · Transmisión de la tenia del zorro por huevos ingeridos; lavado, calentamiento, lavado de manos
- Gesundheitsportal Österreich (gesundheit.gv.at), Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz: Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ) · Centro de información toxicológica de Austria (VIZ), disponible las 24 horas; en caso de peligro agudo, 112 o 144