Pan Fried Nettle with Cumin

Most of us have lost all knowledge of usingwild herbs and leaves, which would have been standard in Ottoman times. A patient cook, browsing over a small patch of grassy ground, could fill a basket with edible greens. So let’s begin modestly, with nettles.

Pick them early in the year, when the tips are small, avoiding roadsides or anywhere that might have been sprayed. In rubber gloves, pinch off the top five leaves of each plant. At home, wash them thoroughly and pick off as much st