What’s red, good for you, and appears during Christmas? No, it’s not Santa Claus, it’s sorrel.
Jamaicans know the holy season is approaching when sorrel appears in abundance in the markets and supermarkets. Many families begin to dig out their special recipes in anticipation, boasting that their formula is the best. It is not only us Jamaicans. For many islanders across the Caribbean, it is not uncommon to be served a nice cool glass with a slice of rum cake. In fact it is a big faux pas if there is no sorrel drink present in your house to offer your guests, evidence of a serious tradition.
There is something seductive about sorrel. The deep ruby red flowers of the hibiscus sabdariffa plant (the scientific name), also resembles beautiful roses; there are also the more rare white sorrel plants. In the West Indies, we use sorrel habitually as a cold beverage, but more recently, with our typical creative flair, sorrel is appearing in cakes, jams, sauces, chutneys and squashes. In Mexico, it is popularly known as agua de Jamaica and is one of the more popular agua frescas—the common refreshing drink served everywhere in the summer from street food stalls to high end restaurants. On the continent of Africa, especially in the western Francophone countries such as Senegal, it is known as bisap, and is mainly drunk as a tea in the Arab North like Egypt or in the Sudan. In Europe, its uses are totally different and used mainly as a herb to garnish salads and other savoury dishes since its leaves have a pleasant sour tang closely resembling citrus, or utilized as a vegetable such as callaloo or kale.
In the last few years the adaptation of sorrel has grown not just in the nutrition sense, but in pharmacology internationally. Locally, intensive research led by the Scientific Research Council (SRC) in Jamaica, has taught us that there is more than meets the eye to this plant. Sorrel has high levels of vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and iron just to name a few values. The researchers at the SRC have worked incredibly hard to apply their findings to the anti-cancer fight and provide valuable antioxidant information. Sorrel is also known to fight hypertension and act as a diuretic. Every part of the plant, has wonderful properties, which can be put to use in medicine, cosmetics and pigments for dye. Sorrel calyces (official name for the flower-part of the sorrel plant) are nutritionally rich due to the high levels of flavonoids that present itself in the rich hue. Therefore, it is not only aesthetically pleasing, but is also good for you. The seeds produce oil that has anti-inflammatory components and is used in shampoos and lotions.
It is said that the sorrel Axplains why its uses vary in the north (as a herb and vegetable because the calyces do not develop in a colder clime), and the south where it is used as a beverage. It is believed that it came to the West Indies via the French colonialists and their slaves in the 17th Century, and was first planted in Jamaica in 1707.
The next time you drink a glass of sorrel you are armed with the knowledge that you are making a healthy choice, so let’s celebrate to that fact this holiday season, cheers!
Source: skywritingsmagazine.com