In Eastern European countryside a hundred years ago, nettles used to be the last resort in early spring when winter supplies were growing thin, and anything growing and not poisonous would be cooked. Sure, they have some nutritional value, but there are reasons why they're not really eaten nowadays...
I thinks is mostly a matter of effort, not just taste. I'm Italian and my grandma used to forage dozens of wild plants, some very tasty (not nettles, I'd agree), and I still forage a few.
But it takes a morning to have the equivalent of 5 minutes in the vegetable isle of the supermarket.
