Uses
Sorrel’s distinctive tart, lemony flavor makes it prized in culinary applications worldwide. Young leaves are excellent in salads, while older leaves are often puréed into soups and sauces. In French cuisine, sorrel sauce is traditionally paired with fish, particularly salmon, as its acidity helps dissolve thin fish bones. Eastern European cuisines use sorrel to make sour soups, often combined with vegetables, herbs, and eggs. The leaves are high in vitamin C and can be cooked with spinach, used in curries with lentils, or dried for winter use in places like Armenia.
Origin
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), also known as common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Eurasia. It grows naturally in grassland habitats throughout Europe from the northern Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and parts of Central Asia. This hardy plant has been cultivated for centuries and can grow in poor soil conditions. It’s a slender plant growing about 60 cm tall, with deep roots and distinctive arrow-shaped leaves that grow from a rosette. The plant has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Australia, and North America.