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 simples
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.
Como 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.
O que realmente 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.
Segurança: o que você precisa observar
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 a 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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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.
Erros comuns
- Comer grandes quantidades
- 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
Visão rápida
Materiais
Faca (lâmina fixa ou com trava)
Ou tesoura
Corte para longe do corpo.
As regras sobre portar facas variam conforme a região – verifique as regras locais.
Saco de coleta ou cesto arejado
Colher cada espécie separadamente para que nada desconhecido se misture
Sem sacos plásticos por muito tempo – a verdura transpira e estraga
Bolsa de água própria para alimentos
For washing
Use somente para água potável, nunca para produtos químicos ou combustível.
Panela de metal (aço inoxidável, alumínio, titânio)
For soup – pouring away the cooking water lowers the oxalic acid
Quente – risco de queimadura.
Indicado para
- April into autumn, young leaves
- A fresh sour taste for soup and salad
- Small amounts as seasoning
Não indicado 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
Pré-requisitos
- Knowing lords-and-ladies
- Sunny, unfertilised meadows with permission
- No kidney stones, kidney disease or gout
Segurança
- 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.
Como 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.
Vantagens
- A fresh sour taste without lemons
- Common in meadows
- Long season
- A few leaves are enough
Desvantagens
- O ácido oxálico limita a quantidade
- Não é adequado para todas as pessoas
- A poisonous look-alike in the woods
- Quase nenhuma caloria
Conhecimento aprofundado
Contexto técnico
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.
Variações
- 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.
Erros comuns
- Comer grandes quantidades
- 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
Limites e riscos
- Não é uma chave de identificação completa
- Vale para a Europa Central
- Sem promessas de cura
- No exact amounts – when in doubt, less
Alternativas de material
Derivado das propriedades dos materiais: um substituto precisa ter todas as propriedades relevantes. Observe as indicações sobre o substituto.
- Saco de coleta ou cesto arejado
- Panela de metal (aço inoxidável, alumínio, titânio) (Quente – risco de queimadura.), Garrafa de aço inoxidável de parede simples (Aqueça apenas garrafas de parede simples, sem pintura nem plástico; retire a tampa antes de aquecer.), Garrafa térmica de parede dupla (Nunca aqueça diretamente.), Garrafa PET (transparente, máx. 2 litros) (Não aqueça nem coloque no fogo.), Galão de ågua próprio para alimentos (Use apenas recipientes que nunca tenham contido produtos químicos ou combustível.), Recipiente hermético próprio para alimentos (Encha somente quando estiver limpo e completamente seco; nunca use recipientes que já tenham guardado produtos químicos.), Recipiente ou bolsa de água dobrável (Proteja de objetos pontiagudos.), Jarra medidora, Bolsa de água própria para alimentos (Use somente para água potável, nunca para produtos químicos ou combustível.), Pote ou pote de barro para fermentação (Use apenas recipientes próprios para alimentos, de vidro, cerâmica esmaltada segura para alimentos ou plástico próprio para alimentos – nada de recipientes de metal para alimentos ácidos.), Sacos de alimentos reutilizáveis com fecho (Use apenas sacos próprios para alimentos; não use com água fervente, a menos que o fabricante permita expressamente.), Recipiente de coleta rígido (pote, cesto ou caneca) (Uma espécie por recipiente – nunca misture algo desconhecido)
- Bolsa de água própria para alimentos
- Garrafa de aço inoxidável de parede simples (Aqueça apenas garrafas de parede simples, sem pintura nem plástico; retire a tampa antes de aquecer.), Garrafa térmica de parede dupla (Nunca aqueça diretamente.), Garrafa PET (transparente, máx. 2 litros) (Não aqueça nem coloque no fogo.), Galão de ågua próprio para alimentos (Use apenas recipientes que nunca tenham contido produtos químicos ou combustível.), Recipiente hermético próprio para alimentos (Encha somente quando estiver limpo e completamente seco; nunca use recipientes que já tenham guardado produtos químicos.), Recipiente ou bolsa de água dobrável (Proteja de objetos pontiagudos.), Pote ou pote de barro para fermentação (Use apenas recipientes próprios para alimentos, de vidro, cerâmica esmaltada segura para alimentos ou plástico próprio para alimentos – nada de recipientes de metal para alimentos ácidos.), Sacos de alimentos reutilizáveis com fecho (Use apenas sacos próprios para alimentos; não use com água fervente, a menos que o fabricante permita expressamente.)
- Panela de metal (aço inoxidável, alumínio, titânio)
- Garrafa de aço inoxidável de parede simples (Aqueça apenas garrafas de parede simples, sem pintura nem plástico; retire a tampa antes de aquecer.)
Os resultados vêm exclusivamente de entradas estruturadas. Nenhuma instrução improvisada é gerada.
Fontes (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 · Transmissão da tênia da raposa por ovos engolidos; lavar, aquecer, lavar as mãos
- Gesundheitsportal Österreich (gesundheit.gv.at), Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz: Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ) · Linha de informação sobre envenenamentos na Áustria (VIZ), disponível 24 horas por dia; em perigo agudo, 112 ou 144