Sephardic Cooks - Jew’s Mallow Soup - Mulukhieh -what is thi

Amarante

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 3:35 pm

I was going through a cookbook - Beirut recipes and never heard of mulukhie. Also intrigued by why is is called Jew's Mallow Soup. I know that mallow is a type of plant that is chiefly used for herbal medicines - is it mulukhieh?

And why is it called Jew's Soup. There is a classic Italian artichoke dish (Carciofi alla Giudia) but I am any kind of maven on Sephardic or Middle Eastern food.

Frankly the dish doesn't seem that intriguing so I have no plans to actually make it but if anyone has insight into why it is called Jew's Mallow Soup and what mulukhieh is, I would be interested in learning about it.

Jew’s Mallow Soup (Mulukhieh)

Excerpt From: Joumana Accad - Taste of Beirut

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon white pepper
salt, to taste
2 cups chopped onions, divided
¼ cup olive oil
2 packages of cilantro pesto (see Chapter 2, “Basics”)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ cup lemon juice or white vinegar
1 package frozen chopped mulukhieh (14 ounces)

Directions:
1) Place chicken in a Dutch oven with water, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, white pepper, salt and half the onions. Simmer for 45 minutes until tender, skimming any froth from the top.

2) Take out the chicken, cut into serving pieces, and set aside. Strain and reserve broth.

3) In a large pot over medium heat, pour the oil and fry the remaining onions until softened. Add the cilantro pesto, coriander, and strained chicken stock, and bring to a simmer; add the lemon juice then the mulukhieh. Heat until the first bubble appears. Serve with the traditional trimmings if desired.

TRIMMINGS: A platter of rice pilaf, a bowl of pita croutons, a bowl of chopped onions soaked in one cup of red vinegar and the chicken pieces.

NOTE: Salah Hassan, an Egyptian farmer, gave me his mom’s secret for mulukhieh: she dips a whole tomato in the broth prior to adding the mulukhieh.He swears this method eliminates sliminess. If using the tomato method, don’t add lemon or vinegar to the broth.

This dish is a glorious one in the eyes of many in Lebanon, Egypt, and the region. The story in Egypt (where this dish originated) is that mulukhieh (from the word muluk, “kings”), was such a favorite of the khedive (sultan) that he would not allow his subjects to eat it (it was purported to be an aphrodisiac). He suffered a sad fate, because one day he went swimming in the Nile and never returned.

The Lebanese, who migrated in droves to Egypt in the nineteenth century, adopted mulukhieh. Upon their return, they introduced it to their fellow countrymen, who created their own versions from north to south. My grandmother used to make it with fresh leaves that she would spread on a white sheet over her queen-size bed and dry for a few hours. She would then stack them up and shred them paper-thin. Today, though, everybody gets it already shredded and frozen at the store to save time “and effort. In some communities, the leaf is kept whole, while in others it is minced. In any case, eating it is an event worthy of inviting many relatives and friends.

Elfrida

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 6:37 pm

I'm not sephardi, but I found this on wikipedia.

Quote:

Mulukhiyah, molokheyya, molokhia or mulukhiyyah is 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.

I'm speculating that in this context, 'Jew's' might be a corruption of jute.

This further information was on an Egyptian cooking site.

Quote:

What does mulukhiyah taste like?
Mulukhiya is a mix between Swiss chard and spinach with the slimy feel of okra. When making it into a soup, its flavor can change drastically based on the other ingredients you add to it.

Why is mulukhiyah slimy?
Molokhia is mucilaginous having a viscous and gelatinous property. It's similar to the slimy feeling many people have when eating okra.

estreya

Wed, Aug 11 2021, 5:55 pm

Amarante, I personally do not like Mlochiyah. It is also called Egyptian spinach and grows all over the Middle East. It is kind of bitter and gets viscous when ground up and cooked. I also hate okra. Usually it gets cookedwith chicken and broth (Egyptian Jewish way) but there are many varations. It can bought both frozen and dried up and pre-ground.

Jews mallow is probably an abberation of jute’s mallow.

Anyway, below is more info that is very interesting.

*********

Melokhia is an ancient green and a gelatinous soup made from it.

Origin: Egypt

Other names: milookhiyya, miloukhia, molokhia, mulukhiya, mulukiya.

Jew's mallow, also known as tossa jute, nalta jute, and bush okra, is grown worldwide primarily for the fibers in its stems, which are used to make burlap; the plant is second only to cotton as the most important natural fiber. Its leaves have long been considered a medicinal vegetable and are used to treat aches, fever, and dysentery. In northeastern Africa and the Levant, the leaves are also used to make a venerable gelatinous Egyptian peasant soup known by the Arabic name of the plant, melokhia, probably a cognate of the Hebrew meluach (salty).

The ancient plant, still grown from North Africa to India, was pictured on the walls of pyramids and may be the meluach mentioned in the Book of Job. It is not inconceivable that three millennia ago the Hebrew slaves subsisted off of melokhia soup as did the peasants of medieval Egypt, except for a period around 1000 CE when it was “banned for absurd political reasons. Historically, melokhia (as well as other green vegetables) was particularly popular with Egyptian Jews; accordingly, a common name for this plant is Jew's mallow.

Melokhia soup remains a staple of the Egyptian masses. It is considered, along with ful medames (stewed dried fava beans), the Egyptian national dish and the ultimate comfort food. The soup, however, is considered a baladi (home-style dish) and, therefore, rarely found on the menus of restaurants or at fancy parties. It is an acquired taste for most non-Egyptians. The dark green leaves, which resemble those of the common mallow, have a mild earthy flavor and viscous nature; when cooked, they produce a soup akin to the gumbo of the American South. Despite the name and appearance, melokhia should not be confused with plain mallow leaves, known as malva (hubeza/khobeiza in Arabic and chalamit in Hebrew), which are also used in peasant cooking. Fresh melokhia leaves are harvested after they reach slightly more than two inches in length and are used throughout the summer; dried or frozen leaves (the latter come cleaned and chopped) are served during the winter and spring. The leaves have to be carefully prepared using three to four teaspoons of coriander per thirty cloves of garlic. Most Egyptians contend that too little garlic ruins the soup. Other common seasonings include cumin or cardamom and fresh lemon juice. When made from chicken or duck broth, a piece of poultry is frequently added to each soup bowl. Melokhia is typically served over white rice.

Excerpt From
Encyclopedia of Jewish Food — Gil Marks