Where do molokhia leaves come from?
Molokhia leaves come from the molokhia plant, which is native to Egypt. Some sources claim that it was discovered by the Jews, possible in the era of the Pharaohs while others say that the plant is of Asian origin.
What does molokhia mean in Arabic?
The name molokhia is Arabic and translates to the king’s vegetable or vegetable of kings, possibly because its consumption was once limited to the Pharaohs. There are numerous ways to spell the name including mulukhiya and molohiya.
How do you cook with molokhia leaves?
Lightly drain onion. Place water and vinegar in a bowl. Add the molokhia leaves and onion and marinate for about 20 minutes. Squeeze the water/vinegar mixture from the marinated vegetables (prepared in Step 2), and top with katsuobushi.
What is molokhia (Mallow)?
Other names for it in English include Egyptian spinach, jute mallow, and Jew’s mallow. Molokhia leaves continue to be popular throughout the Levant but especially in Egypt.
Is molokhia a spinach?
Molokhia (Corchorus olitorius) goes by several names, including jute mallow, Jews' mallow and, more commonly, Egyptian spinach. Native to the Middle East, it's a tasty, edible green that grows quickly and reliably and can be cut again and again throughout the growing season.27-Jul-2020
Is molokhia similar to spinach?
Its name is molokhia. Now almost ubiquitous in its native Middle East, molokhia—which looks like mint and tastes something like spinach—has had a rich history. There are various accounts of its discovery, though most recognize that it originated in Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs.01-Sept-2013
What is molokhia good for?
The possible health benefits of molokhia may include its ability to protect heart health, regulate digestion, protect the immune system, build strong bones, improve blood pressure, increase cognitive abilities, improves sleep habits, helps in growth and development, improve circulation, and reduce inflammation.16-Jul-2021
Is molokhia a jute leaf?
The common name for the green that is molokhia is jute leaf, considered a vitamin-rich superfood that's reputed to be a sleep and digestion aid as well as to improve eyesight. ... Jute leaf is also known as Egyptian spinach, West African sorrel, okra leaf or (ahem) Jew's mallow.05-Dec-2018
Why is molokhia slimy?
Molokhia is a vegetable, technically the leaves of the jute plant, also called Jew's Mallow. Jute, like other mallows such as marshmallow (not that marshmallow, but the original plant) and okra, is mucilaginous, which means that it creates a mucus-lke texture when cooked.04-Apr-2017
How healthy is molokhia?
Molokhia leaves have been found to reduce the risk of hypertension, by effectively helping reduce blood pressure. Molokhia leaves are rich in potassium, and since potassium is a known vasodilator, it helps relax the arteries. This property of potassium helps improve oxygenation and reduces cardiovascular strain (1).01-Feb-2022
How do you eat molokhia?
There are many ways in which Molokhia is cooked in Jordan, it can be cooked with chicken, meat (mostly lamb), or left vegetarian or vegan. But the chicken version is definitely the most popular. It's usually served with rice, but sometimes we just eat it as a soup with a piece of fresh pita bread skipping the rice.27-Nov-2018
Is molokhia good for babies?
It's an excellent Egyptian leafy green with copious amounts of potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and C. It also makes an excellent introductory food for when you start introducing solids to your baby due to the smooth texture.09-Mar-2016
What country is molokhia?
Ancient EgyptMulukhiyahEgyptian molokhiyaAlternative namesmolokheyya, molokhia, molokhiya, mulukhiyya, malukhiyah, melokheyya, melukhia, melokheyaPlace of originAncient EgyptMain ingredientsJute; beef or chicken stockCookbook: Molokheya Media: Molokheya2 more rows
Is molokhia an Ewedu?
Jute (Ewedu, Molokhia, Saluyot) leaves belong to the corchorus specie, a shrub like plant with small dark green, glossy leaves. It is one of the many vegetables used in making soups. Ewedu soup is very popular with the Yorubas in Nigeria.
Who eats molokhia?
the EgyptiansOne tale explains that when the Hyksos tribe invaded Egypt 3600 years ago, they forced the Egyptians to eat molokhia, thinking it was poisonous. The Egyptians not only survived, but thrived after eating the plant, finally wrestling their country of Egypt back 100 years later from the Hyksos.29-Aug-2021
What is Ewedu called in English?
Ewedu soup is the green slimy soup obtained from cooking the ewedu leaves; the English name of this plant is jute mallow with the botanical name Corchorus olitorius.21-Jul-2016
Molokhia -Sticky, Slippery Power of the Summer
True to its legacy of sustaining the health of kings, molokhia offers a great variety of outstanding nutrients such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, calcium, iron, dietary fiber, potassium and mucin.
Pursuing a Molokhia Growing Opportunity in Southern California
I somehow assumed that the weather in Southern California would be good for molokhia, and I started growing it.
Growth of Molokhia
Molokhia stops growing when the temperature falls below 70°F. Even if it gets cold only at night, the molokhia simply stops growing. It’s quite troublesome. So, to ensure reliable cultivation it is best to grow molokhia in a greenhouse where the temperature can be controlled. Around April, I begin to plant seeds in the sprouting room.
Artificial Light Culture
I started to use artificial light to maintain a good harvest even during the autumn months. Artificial light culture is a method of growing plants by making use of a plant characteristic that allows the leaves to sense the length of daylight hours and determine when the plant should produce flowers.
Nutritive Value of Molokhia
Molokhia is first and foremost characterized by its sticky, slippery texture and outstanding nutritional value, which is comparable to that of medicinal plants. The sticky, slippery ingredient of molokhia is mucin, which consists of proteins and polysaccharides.
How to cook Molokhia? (Molkhia Recipes)
This is a quick pasta recipe–just mix and eat. You can also use capellini and eat it cold! This easy yet gorgeous dish is great for parties, too.
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Arab World
As used in Egyptian cuisine, molokhiya ( Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [moloˈxejjæ]) is prepared by removing the central spine from the leaves, and then chopping the leaves finely with garlic and coriander.
Kenyan cuisine
In Kenya, the dish is known as murere ( Luhya ), murenda, apoth ( Luo ), and several other native language names. It is a very popular vegetable dish among communities in the Western region ( Vihiga, Kakamega, Busia, Trans Nzoia and Bungoma Counties) and in Nyanza region ( Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Kisii, Migori and Nyamira Counties).
West African cuisines
The leaf is a common food in many tropical West African countries. It is believed that the "drip tips" on the leaves serve to shed excess water from the leaf from the heavy rains in the tropics.
Cypriot cuisine
In Northern Cyprus the dish is known as molohiya. It is popular among the Turkish Cypriots. The jute leaves are cultivated and grown in the spring, whereupon they are harvested and the leaves are separated from the stem and dried whole. They are cooked in a tomato-based broth with onions and garlic.
Haitian cuisine
In Haiti, the leafy green dish is commonly known as lalo and is traditionally cooked with or without meat. When considering meat, Haitians utilize beef or pork shoulder. Seafood such as blue crabs, shrimp or snow crab legs are also options. It is traditionally served with white rice.
1. Great Source of Vitamins
Molokhia is thought to carry more than 30 vitamins and minerals. Many of these vitamins are very significant for your health and provide many nutrition benefits. Some of the vitamins that molokhia has are vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin E.
2. Helps Regulate Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is absolutely vital for life. Without proper pressure, no nutrients or oxygen would be delivered through your blood to your organs and tissues. Molokhia has a high potassium content and reduces the risk of hypertension. Potassium is critical mineral and electrolyte that is also a vasodilator.
3. Contains Valuable Minerals
In addition to potassium, Molokhia is also known to contain magnesium, calcium, and iron. Having a deficiency in any of these minerals can compromise your health in many ways, especially when it comes to bone and muscle health.
5. Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels
The fiber in Molokhia isn’t just beneficial for preventing constipation—it can also keep your blood sugar levels from rising too fast. Sugar is absorbed slower when eating high fiber foods. This is good because with high spikes in glucose come big falls—which can make feel hungry too soon after eating and cause you to overeat.
6. Boosts Circulation
Molokhia can also increase circulation in the body. The high levels of iron aid in the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells are an extremely important element of blood. Their job in the body is to transport oxygen to the body’s tissues, which is also important for maintaining energy levels.
7. Improves Sleep
The high amounts of magnesium in molokhia can be beneficial for sleep. Magnesium has been long known to be fairly effective and relaxing the body. The hormones released after magnesium enters the body calm the nerves. For this reason one of the many benefits of magnesium include its ability to relieve mild cases of insomnia.
8. Eases Inflammation
Vitamin E is known to have anti-inflammatory effects towards the body, which is beneficial in many ways. There is a very long list of conditions related to inflammation, including headaches, gout and arthritis. Molokhia contains a very high amount of Vitamin E—a trait that is not common in the vast majority of foods.
Overview
Mulukhiyah, molokheyya, molokhia or mulukhiyyah (Arabic: ملوخية, romanized: mulūkhiyyah) refers to the leaves of Corchorus olitorius, commonly known in English as denje'c'jute, nalta jute, tossa jute, jute mallow or Jew's Mallow. It is used as a vegetable and is popular in Middle East, East African, west African and North African countries and is called “Saluyot” in the Philippines. Mulukhiyah is …
Origins and history
While most scholars are of the opinion that mulukhiyah's origins lie in Ancient Egypt, there is evidence that India is the source of the related species Corchorus capsularis, which is also used for food as well as fiber.
Mulukhiyah was a known dish in the Medieval Arab world. The recipe on how to prepare it is mentioned in the 14th century Arabic book Kanz al-Fawa'id fi Tanwi' al-Mawa'id. According to th…
Culinary varieties
As used in Egyptian cuisine, molokhiya (Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [moloˈxejjæ]) is prepared by removing the central spine from the leaves, and then chopping the leaves finely with garlic and coriander. The dish generally includes some sort of meat; in Egypt this is usually chicken or rabbit, but lamb is preferred when available, particularly in Cairo. Cooks in Alexandria often opt to …
Nutrition
The leaves are rich in folate, beta-carotene, iron, calcium, vitamin C and more than 32 vitamins, minerals and trace elements. The plant has a potent antioxidant activity with a significant α-tocopherol equivalent vitamin E.
Ancient references
The word for the plant is found in ancient Mediterranean languages such as Arabic and Greek. Cognates of the word include Ancient Greek μαλάχη (malákhē) or μολόχη (molókhē), Modern Greek μολόχα (molókha), modern Arabic: ملوخية (mulukhiyah) and modern Hebrew: מלוחיה (malukhia).
See also
• List of Middle Eastern dishes
• List of African dishes
External links
• Mulukhiyya recipe