Meadow sorrel

In ancient Greece, Egypt and among the Romans, sorrel was used as a food to combat vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It was served at banquets to balance out the excessively fatty dishes. Sailors in the Middle Ages also used sorrel as a remedy for scurvy.

In folk medicine, sorrel is used, amongst other things, as a fever-reducing remedy, to treat loss of appetite and to combat spring fatigue. Sorrel is often eaten in small quantities every day for two weeks as a spring cure (e.g. mixed into a salad) or the juice is drunk (two teaspoons) to supply the body with essential vitamins and minerals.

When taken internally, sorrel can purify the blood, strengthen the liver and stimulate the metabolism. Externally, the crushed leaves are used to treat insect bites or minor skin irritations.

Sorrel doesn’t just look lovely; it’s also packed with valuable nutrients. Rich in vitamin C, iron, carotene and flavonoids, it provides us with essential nutrients, whilst its fresh, slightly tart flavour adds a special touch to cooking. In France, sorrel is even grown in market gardens, and the leaves are frequently used there to make creamy sorrel soups, which are very popular.

From March to September, the fresh, vibrant green leaves of sorrel can be harvested, whilst its delicate flowers, which bloom from April to July in a spectrum ranging from green to red, can also be used. Both parts of the plant can be enjoyed raw or cooked.

Thanks to its pleasantly tart flavour, sorrel can be used as a substitute for acidic ingredients such as vinegar or lemon in salads or quark. The leaves can be prepared in a similar way to spinach or mixed with spinach to enhance its flavour. It can also enrich many simple dishes such as soups, pestos, breads, spreads or stews as an unusual ingredient, rounding them off with its tartness. Both the leaves and the flowers can be used. The flowers also make a wonderful decoration, adding colour and freshness to savoury dishes, desserts and even drinks.

The syllable ‘ampfer’ is translated as ‘sour’. The name ‘Sauerampfer’ is therefore a pleonasm, a repetition of words with similar meanings, such as ‘tacitly’ or ‘ultimately’. The Latin species name ‘acetosa’ derives from the Latin ‘acetum’, meaning ‘vinegar’, and refers to its sour taste.

Its natural range extends from Europe through North Africa to Asia and Australia. It was introduced to North and South America by humans.

A simple identifying feature is its arrow-shaped leaves. They are long-stalked, oblong-elliptical and each has two pointed lateral lobes at the base of the leaf, which give them their characteristic arrow shape. The polygonal stems have a reddish tinge and can reach a height of up to 100 centimetres. The flowers are arranged in panicle-like inflorescences and range in colour from greenish to reddish, depending on their stage of development.

Sorrel is often confused by beginners with blunt-leaved sorrel (Rumex obtusifolius), which is known as ‘Blacke’. This plant also contains vitamin C and is edible, but is not particularly tasty. Broad-leaved dock differs from meadow sorrel in its rounded lateral lobes at the base of the leaf, its larger leaves – which are usually tinged with red – and the absence of a sour taste.