Sorrel

{{About|common sorrel|the "sorrel of the Caribbean"|Roselle (plant)|other uses}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Sorrel

| image = (MHNT) Rumex acetosa - Habit.jpg

| image_caption = Plant habit, Muséum de Toulouse

| genus = Rumex

| species = acetosa

| authority = L.

| synonyms = {{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |

Acetosa agrestis Raf.
Acetosa amplexicaulis Raf.
Acetosa angustata Raf.
Acetosa bidentula Raf.
Acetosa fontanopaludosa (Kalela) Holub
Acetosa hastifolia Schur
Acetosa hastulata Raf.
Acetosa magna Gilib.
Acetosa officinalis Gueldenst. ex Ledeb.
Acetosa olitoria Raf.
Acetosa pratensis Garsault nom. inval.
Acetosa pratensis Mill.
Acetosa subalpina Schur
Rumex biformis Lange
Rumex fontanopaludosus Kalela

}}

| synonyms_ref = {{citation

|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2424198

|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species|website=Theplantlist.org

|access-date=10 May 2016}}

}}

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ("dock" being a common name for the genus Rumex).

Sorrel is native to Eurasia and a common plant in grassland habitats. It is often cultivated as a leaf vegetable or herb.

Description

Sorrel is a slender herbaceous perennial plant about {{convert|60|cm|in|0|abbr=off}} high,{{Cite book |last=Francis-Baker |first=Tiffany |title=Concise Foraging Guide |date=2021 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-4729-8474-6 |series=The Wildlife Trusts |location=London |pages=50}} with roots that run deep into the ground, as well as juicy stems and arrow-shaped (sagittate) leaves which grow from a rosette.{{Cite book|last=Lyle|first=Katie Letcher|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/560560606|title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them|publisher=FalconGuides|year=2010|isbn=978-1-59921-887-8|edition=2nd|location=Guilford, CN|pages=29–30|oclc=560560606|orig-year=2004}} The lower leaves are {{convert|7|to|15|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} in length with long petioles and a membranous ocrea formed of fused, sheathing stipules. The upper leaves are sessile, (growing directly from the stem without a petiole) and frequently become crimson. It has whorled spikes of reddish-green flowers, which bloom in early summer, becoming purplish.{{cite book|last1=Blamey|first1=M.|last2=Fitter|first2=R.|last3=Fitter|first3=A|year=2003|title=Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora.|publisher=A & C Black|location=London|isbn=978-1408179505|page=64}}{{cite book|last=Stace|first=C. A.|author-link = Stace, C. A.|year=2010|title=New Flora of the British Isles|edition=Third|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location = Cambridge, U.K.| page=446|isbn=9780521707725}} The species is dioecious, with stamens and pistils on different plants.

{{gallery|mode=

|ترشک در آبپخش.jpg|Sorrel plant in Ab Pakhsh

|Oseille pied.JPG|Leaves

|20140420Rumex acetosa2.jpg|Buds

|Rumex acetosa - Hapu oblikas.jpg|Flowers

|Rumex acetosa (subsp. acetosa) sl39.jpg|Close-up of subsp. acetosa flowers

|Rumex acetosa (subsp. acetosa) sl41.jpg|Close-up of subsp. acetosa nuts

}}

Subspecies

Several subspecies have been named. Not all are cultivated.

Rumex acetosa subsp. acetosa
Rumex acetosa subsp. ambiguus
Rumex acetosa subsp. arifolius
Rumex acetosa subsp. hibernicus
Rumex acetosa subsp. hirtulus
Rumex acetosa subsp. vinealis

Distribution and habitat

Rumex acetosa occurs in grassland habitats throughout Europe from the northern Mediterranean coast to the north of Scandinavia and in parts of Central Asia. It occurs as an introduced species in parts of New Zealand, Australia, and North America.{{cite web|url=http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/polygona/rumex/rumeacev.jpg|format=JPG|title=Global spread map|website=Linnaeus.nrm.se|access-date=23 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816021844/http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/polygona/rumex/rumeacev.jpg|archive-date=August 16, 2017|url-status=dead}} It can grow in poor soil.

Pests

The leaves are eaten by the larvae of several species of Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) including the blood-vein moth, aphids and by non-specialized snails and slugs.{{Cite journal |last1=Korpelainen |first1=Helena |last2=Pietiläinen |first2=Maria |date=December 2020 |title=Sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.): Not Only a Weed but a Promising Vegetable and Medicinal Plant |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12229-020-09225-z |journal=The Botanical Review |language=en |volume=86 |issue=3–4 |pages=241 |doi=10.1007/s12229-020-09225-z |s2cid=221110563 |issn=0006-8101|hdl=10138/326558 |hdl-access=free }}

Uses

File:Sorrel soup with egg and croutons (Zupa szczawiowa z jajkiem i grzankami).jpg with egg and croutons, part of Polish cuisine]]

Common sorrel has been cultivated for centuries. The leaves are edible when young but toughen with age; they may be puréed in soups and sauces or added to salad. The young shoots are edible as well, these and the leaves both being high in vitamin C and having a lemony flavor.

In India, the leaves are used in soups or curries made with yellow lentils and peanuts. In Afghanistan, the leaves are coated in a wet batter and deep fried, then served as an appetizer or if in season during Ramadan, for breaking the fast. In Armenia, the leaves are collected in spring, woven into braids, and dried for use during winter. The most common preparation is aveluk soup, where the leaves are rehydrated and rinsed to reduce bitterness, then stewed with onions, potatoes, walnuts, garlic and bulgur wheat or lentils, and sometimes sour plums.

Throughout eastern Europe, wild or garden sorrel is used to make sour soups, stewed with vegetables or herbs, meat or eggs. In rural Greece, it is used with spinach, leeks, and chard in spanakopita.

"Escalope de saumon à l'oseille" (salmon escalope in sorrel sauce), invented in 1962 by the Troisgros brothers, is an emblematic dish of French nouvelle cuisine.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/12/garden/great-cooks-finesse-times-two.html|title=GREAT COOKS; Finesse Times Two|last1=Miller|first1=Bryan|date=1995-07-12|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-05|last2=Franey|first2=Pierre|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite book|url=http://www.thepollacks.com/recipes/SalmonandSorrelTroisgros.htm|title=Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook|last1=Boulud|first1=Daniel|last2=Greenspan|first2=Dorie|publisher=Scribner|year=1999|isbn=978-0684863436}} French cuisine traditionally cooks fish with sorrel because its acidity dissolves thin fish bones.{{cite book|title=Le Règne végétal|publisher=Librairie des sciences naturelles|date=1864|page=480}}

In the Caribbean, the term "sorrel" refers to a type of sweet hibiscus tea commonly made from the African roselle flower,[https://www.caribbeanandco.com/sorrel-drink-a-caribbean-favorite-during-the-christmas-season/ Sorrel Drink, A Caribbean Favorite During The Christmas Season] unrelated to the Eurasian sorrel herb.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/a-hibiscus-drink-that-by-any-of-its-names-is-sweet/2017/05/09/db3cc014-250a-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html A hibiscus drink, by any of its names, is sweet]