2023-06-25 08:03:36
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), regarding the nettle, maintains that eaten raw it is useless, due to its sourness, cooked instead it is good to eat for men since it purges the stomach and eliminates its mucus (Liber subtilitatum ). In fact, she maintained that “in every creature that comes from God, even the one that seems most useless, there is a utility even if man does not know it”. Hairy and stinging but with great beneficial properties: it is the nettle (Urtica dioica), from the Latin urtica, from urere that is to burn. It is a spontaneous plant, which grows preferably in uncultivated and abandoned land, whose leaves, rich in chlorophyll, are covered with hairs (trichomes) and when they break they release formic acid, a fluid that causes burning and itching. For this reason it is an allegory of punishment as we read in Hosea (9,6) “Their silver treasures will go to the nettles”. There are even some jellyfish of the Scifozoi class which, due to their stinging nature, have been baptized “sea nettles”.
Nettle, on the other hand, is rich in excellent nutritional properties: proteins, sulphur, calcium, iron, potassium. For this reason, numerous virtues are recognized: purifying, haemostatic and diuretic. In the case of physical exhaustion and malnutrition it is recommended because it remineralizes, in fact it abounds in mineral salts such as phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, silicon, manganese, potassium and vitamins A, C and K. It is also good to consume it during breastfeeding because it performs a galactogenic action that stimulates the production and secretion of milk. Even roots boiled for half an hour in milk are effective against gallstones.
Between food and archeology, the truest Tuscia by Stefano Petrella 01 February 2023
In Ancient Egypt nettles were used to treat arthritis. Medicinal remedies based on sobo nettle described by Theophrastus, Pliny the Elder, Hippocrates. Roman soldiers consumed it to relieve muscle fatigue as well as rheumatism. Precisely the stinging properties of hair that are exploited for various pathologies: eczema, asthma, hemorrhoids, gout, rheumatism, anemia… In the kitchen with nettles you can prepare excellent risottos and omelettes. And yet a good pesto alone or mixed with basil pesto to flavor lasagna and pasta dishes. Also excellent together with ricotta in the filling for ravioli, and nettle soup, gnocchi savory pies, or as a side dish boiled and seasoned with oil and lemon. Excellent herbal teas are obtained from dried or fresh leaves.
Ravioli with nettles (@pastificioplin)
A population of Western Siberia, the Ostiachi, used to let it grow around the house and then obtain textile fibers from which they then wove a green cloth, resistant enough to be considered indestructible. The Germans made military uniforms out of it in both world wars. Lately, just in Italy in the Modena area, the ancient nettle supply chain for textile use is being reorganized. The maceration of both dioecious and urens nettle species is used in organic farming to keep insects away and prevent certain diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew. If used as mulch it improves the quality of the humus. Finally, if even the famous German engraver and painter of the late fifteenth century Albrect Durer in a painting by him depicts an angel in the act of offering the Creator just a nettle, what more can I say?
#ravioli #soups #drunk #herbal #tea #nettle #good