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Jute leaves soup, Ewedu, Mulukhiyah, or Molokhia – you will be surprised by how many names this delicious soup is called. It is very popular not only in the Middle East but in West Africa, East Africa, and North Africa.
Mulukihiyah translates to Jew’s Mallow, and is a leafy green vegetable, that turns into an almost gelatinous (some would say a little slimy) stew when cooked.
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 the Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi (d. 1442), mulukhiyah was the favorite dish of caliph Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (r. 661–680) the founder of the Umayyad Caliphate. Furthermore, on the 7th of Muharram in the year 395 AH (1005 AD) the Fatimid ruler of Egypt al-Hakim bi Amr Allah (r. 996–1021) issued a decree which prohibited his subjects from eating the mulukhiyah, which was thought to be an aphrodisiac. However, his successor caliph al-Zahir (r. 1021–1035) permitted the eating of mulukhiya again. The Druze, who hold Al-Hakim in high regard and give him quasi-divine authority, continue to respect the ban, and do not eat Mulukhiyah of any kind to this day.
Back then it was called mulukiyah, the food of the kings, and was only to be later adapted by Palestinians. Mulukhiyah is a rather odd looking dish that doesn’t quite please the eye on first sight, but will instantly have you head over heels from the first bite. It consists of a green herb, mulukhiyah, cooked until slimy, with rice and chicken aside. Palestinians and Jordanians would chop the herb so fine that the mulukhiyah soup would look intact, Syrians and Lebanese, on the other hand, would keep the leaflets rather rough and bulky. You should attempt to have Mulukhiyah with a squeeze of lemon juice, and, if daring enough, a small tablespoon of hot chili sauce.
Jute leaves soup, Ewedu, Mulukhiyah, or Molokhia – you will be surprised by how many names this delicious soup is called. It is very popular not only in the Middle East but in West Africa, East Africa, and North Africa.
Mulukihiyah translates to Jew’s Mallow, and is a leafy green vegetable, that turns into an almost gelatinous (some would say a little slimy) stew when cooked.
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 the Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi (d. 1442), mulukhiyah was the favorite dish of caliph Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (r. 661–680) the founder of the Umayyad Caliphate. Furthermore, on the 7th of Muharram in the year 395 AH (1005 AD) the Fatimid ruler of Egypt al-Hakim bi Amr Allah (r. 996–1021) issued a decree which prohibited his subjects from eating the mulukhiyah, which was thought to be an aphrodisiac. However, his successor caliph al-Zahir (r. 1021–1035) permitted the eating of mulukhiya again. The Druze, who hold Al-Hakim in high regard and give him quasi-divine authority, continue to respect the ban, and do not eat Mulukhiyah of any kind to this day.