No matter what it's called, it's a totally tasty treat!!!!! I grew up eating this, and now I grow it in my own garden.... but, people with lawns just think of this as a weed!
Common sorrel has been cultivated for centuries. The leaves may be pureed in soups and sauces or added to salads; they have a flavor that is similar to kiwifruit or sour wild strawberries. The plant's sharp taste is due to oxalic acid, which is mildly toxic.
In northern Nigeria, sorrel is known as yakuwa or sure (pronounced suuray) in Hausa or karassu
in Kanuri. It is also used in stews usually in addition to spinach. In
some Hausa communities, it is steamed and made into salad using kuli-kuli
(traditional roasted peanut cakes with oil extracted), salt, pepper,
onion and tomatoes. The recipe varies according to different levels of
household income. A drink called zobo (sorrel squash) is made from a decoction of the plant calyx.
In Romania, wild or garden sorrel, known as măcriş or ştevie, is used to make sour soups, stewed with spinach, added fresh to lettuce and spinach in salads or over open sandwiches.
In Russia and Ukraine it is called
shchavel (щавель) and is used to make soup called
green borscht. It is used as a soup ingredient in other countries, too (e.g.
Lithuania, where it is known as
rūgštynė).
In Hungary the plant and its leaves are known as
sóska (
Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈʃoːʃkɒ]). It is called
kuzukulağı ('lamb's ear') in Turkish. In Polish it is called
szczaw.
In
Croatia and Bulgaria is used for soups or with mashed potatoes, or as
part of a traditional dish containing eel and other green herbs.
In rural Greece it is used with spinach, leeks, and chard in spanakopita.
In the Flemish part of Belgium it is called zurkel
and preserved pureed sorrel is mixed with mashed potatoes and eaten
with sausages, meatballs or fried bacon, as a traditional winter dish.
In Vietnam it is called Rau Chua and is used to added fresh to lettuce and in salads for Bánh Xēo.
In Portugal, it is called azeda or azeda-brava ,
"sour", "fierce sour", and is usually eaten raw in salads or used to
make soups. This is identical to its use in Brazil, under the name of azedinha , "small/lovely tart").
In India, the leaves are called chukkakura in Telugu, and are used in making delicious recipes. Chukkakura pappu soup made with yellow lentils is also called toor dal in India.
In Albania it is called lëpjeta, the leaves are simmered and served cold marinated in olive oil, it is used in soups, and even as an ingredient for filling byrek pies (byrek me lakra).
This name
can be confused with the hibiscus calyces or
hibiscus tea.
