Flipping through some old cooking class notes recently, I saw something that gave me pause. I had written down that the popular Mexican refreshment agua de jamaica was made from a plant related to hibiscus, called red sorrel.
I was confused. All this time I’ve been equating jamaica and hibiscus as one and the same (like here and here.) Somewhere in the depths of my mind, I felt sure they were the same. So what was all this red sorrel business?
It seems to be a semantical nuance that was lost in translation at the Mexican cooking class I’d written the note in. Turns out that red sorrel is one of the common names given to the plant Hibiscus sabdariffa, so they are in fact the same plant.
Of course, to make matters complicated, the common name “red sorrel” doesn’t refer to hibiscus alone. It is also used to describe Rumex acetosella, an unrelated plant that is also known as sheep’s sorrel.
So bottom line, I’ll continue to refer to jamaica as hibiscus, and I’ll shelve this confusing red sorrel note.
There’s another botanical clarification I’d like to offer while we’re on the topic. I’ve often described jamaica as “hibiscus flowers,” which isn’t entirely correct. The part of the plant collected and dried to make jamaica is technically the fruit—a seedpod surrounded by a soft calyx, or collection of petal-like sepals.
Many times, the hibiscus teas we find in stores are crushed up into small pieces (as pictured), which causes them to become dry and brittle. To get the most flavor and vitality from your hibiscus, it’s important to find whole calyces that are still soft and tender to the touch, a little flexible even. You can often find these in big clear bags at Latino markets.
The post Kitchen Semantics: Jamaica vs. Hibiscus appeared first on Whisked Foodie.
