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
Spiegato in modo semplice
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.
Come funziona
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.
Ciò che conta davvero
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.
Sicurezza: a cosa devi fare attenzione
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.
Passo dopo passo
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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Preparare
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.
Errori comuni
- Mangiarne grandi quantità
- 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
Panoramica rapida
Materiale
Coltello (a lama fissa o con blocco della lama)
Oppure delle forbici
Taglia lontano dal corpo.
Le regole sul trasporto dei coltelli variano da regione a regione – controlla le regole del posto.
Sacchetto o cesto da raccolta ben aerato
Raccogliere ogni specie separatamente, così nulla di sconosciuto si mescola
Niente sacchetti di plastica per tempi lunghi: la verdura suda e si guasta
Sacca per l'acqua per alimenti
For washing
Usare solo per l'acqua potabile, mai per sostanze chimiche o combustibili.
Pentola di metallo (acciaio inox, alluminio, titanio)
For soup – pouring away the cooking water lowers the oxalic acid
Calda: pericolo di ustioni.
Adatto a
- April into autumn, young leaves
- A fresh sour taste for soup and salad
- Small amounts as seasoning
Non adatto a
- Large amounts or eating it daily
- Small children, people with kidney stones, kidney disease or gout
- Shady deciduous woods where lords-and-ladies grows
Prerequisiti
- Knowing lords-and-ladies
- Sunny, unfertilised meadows with permission
- No kidney stones, kidney disease or gout
Sicurezza
- 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.
Come funziona
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.
Vantaggi
- A fresh sour taste without lemons
- Common in meadows
- Long season
- A few leaves are enough
Svantaggi
- L'acido ossalico limita la quantità
- Non adatto a tutti
- A poisonous look-alike in the woods
- Quasi nessuna caloria
Approfondimento
Contesto tecnico
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.
Varianti
- 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.
Errori comuni
- Mangiarne grandi quantità
- 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
Limiti e rischi
- Non è una chiave di determinazione completa
- Vale per l'Europa centrale
- Nessuna promessa di guarigione
- No exact amounts – when in doubt, less
Alternative di materiali
Ricavate dalle proprietà dei materiali: un sostituto deve avere tutte le proprietà rilevanti. Tieni conto delle note sul sostituto.
- Sacchetto o cesto da raccolta ben aerato
- Pentola di metallo (acciaio inox, alluminio, titanio) (Calda: pericolo di ustioni.), Bottiglia in acciaio inox a parete singola (Scalda solo bottiglie a parete singola, senza vernice o plastica; togli il tappo prima di scaldare.), Bottiglia isolata a doppia parete (Non scaldare mai direttamente.), Bottiglia in PET (trasparente, max 2 litri) (Non scaldare e non mettere sul fuoco.), Tanica per acqua adatta agli alimenti (Usa solo contenitori che non hanno mai contenuto sostanze chimiche o carburante.), Contenitore per alimenti ermetico e adatto al contatto con il cibo (Riempi solo quando è pulito e completamente asciutto; non usare mai contenitori che prima contenevano prodotti chimici.), Contenitore o sacca d'acqua pieghevole (Proteggere da oggetti appuntiti.), Brocca graduata, Sacca per l'acqua per alimenti (Usare solo per l'acqua potabile, mai per sostanze chimiche o combustibili.), Barattolo o vaso per fermentazione (Usa solo contenitori adatti agli alimenti, in vetro, in gres smaltato idoneo al contatto con gli alimenti o in plastica per alimenti – niente contenitori di metallo per alimenti acidi.), Sacchetti per alimenti richiudibili (Usa solo sacchetti adatti agli alimenti; non usarli con acqua bollente, a meno che il produttore non lo consenta esplicitamente.), Contenitore rigido per la raccolta (scatola, cesto o tazza) (Una specie per contenitore – non mescolare mai nulla di sconosciuto)
- Sacca per l'acqua per alimenti
- Bottiglia in acciaio inox a parete singola (Scalda solo bottiglie a parete singola, senza vernice o plastica; togli il tappo prima di scaldare.), Bottiglia isolata a doppia parete (Non scaldare mai direttamente.), Bottiglia in PET (trasparente, max 2 litri) (Non scaldare e non mettere sul fuoco.), Tanica per acqua adatta agli alimenti (Usa solo contenitori che non hanno mai contenuto sostanze chimiche o carburante.), Contenitore per alimenti ermetico e adatto al contatto con il cibo (Riempi solo quando è pulito e completamente asciutto; non usare mai contenitori che prima contenevano prodotti chimici.), Contenitore o sacca d'acqua pieghevole (Proteggere da oggetti appuntiti.), Barattolo o vaso per fermentazione (Usa solo contenitori adatti agli alimenti, in vetro, in gres smaltato idoneo al contatto con gli alimenti o in plastica per alimenti – niente contenitori di metallo per alimenti acidi.), Sacchetti per alimenti richiudibili (Usa solo sacchetti adatti agli alimenti; non usarli con acqua bollente, a meno che il produttore non lo consenta esplicitamente.)
- Pentola di metallo (acciaio inox, alluminio, titanio)
- Bottiglia in acciaio inox a parete singola (Scalda solo bottiglie a parete singola, senza vernice o plastica; togli il tappo prima di scaldare.)
I risultati provengono esclusivamente da voci strutturate. Non vengono generate istruzioni improvvisate.
Fonti (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 · Trasmissione della tenia della volpe attraverso uova ingerite; lavare, riscaldare, lavarsi le mani
- Gesundheitsportal Österreich (gesundheit.gv.at), Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz: Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ) · Centro antiveleni in Austria (VIZ), attivo 24 ore su 24; in caso di pericolo acuto 112 o 144