suring, noun

/ˈsyrəŋ/
Forms:
Also surings (retaining singular force), and zuring.
Origin:
Afrikaans, DutchShow more Afrikaans, adaptation of Dutch zuring sorrel.
Any of several species of plant with an acidulous sap, especially species of Oxalis (sorrel) and Rumex (dock).
1870 H.H. Dugmore Reminisc. of Albany Settler (1958) 27The young bucks had to dress in sheepskin. If..they could afford to sport cuffs and facings of jackal’s or tiger’s fur,..they might then calculate on making quite a sensation among the fair sex; especially if the Zuring had done its Saturday duty, and had given the proper bright yellow to the ‘crackers’.
1900 F.R.M. Cleaver in M.M. Cleaver Young S. Afr. (1913) 154We hunted among the rocks for zuring (sorrel), which we chewed for the rest of the day.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 575Zuring,..Various species of Oxalideæ are so termed by the Dutch; the leaves were used to clean and stain the ‘Crackers’..which the colonists of earlier days wore.
1917 R. Marloth Dict. of Common Names of Plants 92Zuring, A number of plants with acidulous sap, most of them either species of Rumex (dock) or of Oxalis (sorrel).
1947 T.M. Salter in Jrnl of Botanical Soc. of S. Afr. XXXIII. 9Out of over 200 species of South African Oxalis (Surings) 32 occur in the Cape Peninsula.
1972 A.A. Telford Yesterday’s Dress 96The settlers called their homemade sheepskin trousers, ‘crackers’ from the noise they produced with the slightest movement of the wearer. They stained them a bright yellow with the leaves of the ‘zuring’ (the sorrel plant).
1973 M.A. Cook Cape Kitchen 109Herbs were either picked and used fresh (parsley, mint, sorrel or suring, and fennel), or else hung up in cotton bags.
1975 W. Steenkamp Land of Thirst King 129A variety of sorrel commonly known as ‘surings’ boiled in milk provided a favourite breakfast food.
1986 Grocott’s Mail 1 July 6Oxalis — an indigenous suring or sorrel — was also used to colour sheepskin clothing yellow. The British Settlers of 1820 adopted the practice happily.
1989 I. Jones Woman’s World Cookbk 57In Cape dishes sorrel (‘suring’) means the leaves of the yellow oxalis that blooms in autumn and winter.
1990 Weekend Argus 10 Feb. (Weekender) 4Peach and plum trees scattered blossoms over the surings (sorrel) which we loved to gather and suck.
Any of several species of plant with an acidulous sap, especially species of Oxalis (sorrel) and Rumex (dock).
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sun-under, nounn.Sus, nounn.2
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