nettle soup — Turkey

Nettle soup is made from the young tops of stinging nettles, gathered in spring before they toughen, and simmered into a soup that is eaten across a wide stretch of countries. In Turkey it is known as ısırgan çorbası and is generally built around rice and a finish of yogurt rather than cream. The soup is reported not only from Turkey but also from Scandinavia, Finland, Iran, Ireland, the United Kingdom and parts of Eastern Europe, with each region settling on its own base grain or thickener; in Turkey it is specifically a spring dish, cooked as soon as the first tender nettle shoots can be picked. To prepare it, the nettle tops are picked with gloves, rinsed well and briefly blanched, which removes their sting and lets them be handled and chopped safely. Onion is softened in butter, rice and stock are added, and the chopped nettles go in to simmer gently until the rice is tender and the soup has thickened slightly; it is usually finished with a spoonful of strained yogurt stirred through or swirled on top, and a small drizzle of butter melted with dried mint or paprika. What changes from one pot to another is mainly the thickener and the finish: some cooks add red lentils alongside the rice for extra body, others prefer the soup thin; the yogurt swirl is sometimes replaced with a squeeze of lemon, and the amount of mint-and-butter garnish poured on top at the end varies by household.