This edible false clover with a tangy taste

Like everyone, I let myself have by the Oxalis. With its three leaflets nicely cut in the shape of a heart, it perfectly mimics a clover. But the first time I brought it to my mouth, the bright feeling of acidity that I felt made me the effect of an electric shock. This characteristic of the plant is highlighted in its German name “Sauerklee”, acid clover. The distinguished Hellenists also know this: Oxalis comes from ancient Greek oxus which means “acid”.

Once accustomed to this unexpected flavor, I quickly realized the possibilities offered by this pretty plant. I then dotted my salads – no need for vinegar – and used it to prepare refreshing drinks, such as lemonade.

I discovered that by mixing theOxalis acetosella With a texture agent such as yogurt or silky tofu, I obtained delicious sauces, a nice almond green, perfect for accompanying white fish, even salmon.

It was my friend Marc Veyrat – with whom I have worked on wild plants in the kitchen for a long time – who revealed all the potential to me. He thus invented the recipe of a calf egg in which he injects, with a syringe, a delicate and powerful oxalis cream.

Apple flavor

But, will you say, why bother to harvest these small wood leaves rather than picking those of the meadows sorrel, much more profitable given their relative sizes? It is that the acidity of the oxalis is much finer than that of the sorrel, always marked with astrint due to its tannin content.

Its taste evokes the green apple, with aromatic nuances that the sorrel does not have. Therefore, it would be a shame to cook it: I only use it raw. On the other hand, for the soup, the sorrel is perfect.

In addition to the oxalis of woods, which I meet in the mountains, I also pick other family members, often considered as “weeds”, because they come spontaneously in the Gardens and Lands stirred: Oxalis Corni-Culata And Oxalis Fontana. Their flowers are yellow, unlike Oxalis acetosella And their leaves can also be consumed.

Other species, with purplish flowers, are used for ornamentation. In the Andes, we cultivate the OCA, an oxalis with a fleshy root which is consumed as potatoes. The oxalis of our regions also have a fleshy root but too small to be eaten. It would take far too much time and energy to feed on it. The next time you come across a “clover” in the undergrowth, look at it more closely … and taste it!