Stinging Nettles

I don’t know why, but I always seemed to think that if I ordered a nettle pizza, it would come out with sticks on it. Kinda like kukicha, or twig tea (this stuff). So imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when the pizza arrived with greens! (I know, I know…silly me…but doesn’t “nettle” just sound like it would be twig-y??).

Even more pleasantly surprising was how good the pizza was! Yes, the egg (always) helps, but nettles are so tasty–sort of like slightly bitter spinach. And like spinach, nettles are high in vitamins A and C, as well as high in iron.

Now let’s talk about this stinging business…this book on the central nervous system’s structure and function notes that the plant known as “stinging nettle”, or Urtica dioica, has many hollow stinging hairs that inject histamine and other chemicals, producing a stinging sensation when touched. Soaking the nettles in water helps to remove these chemicals, making them safe to handle and eat without the sting. I often wonder how people figured this stuff out…I don’t know about you, but if something stung me I would leave it alone.

Then, of course, there are these people:

The beer must help. Or perhaps make the whole thing possible in the first place.