It’s abundantly green, it’s pungent in its garlicky aroma, it’s notoriously slimy, and goes perfectly with a side of rice with vermicelli, and if you’re lucky some chicken pane, to elevate the meal even further—but most importantly, it is the epitome of comfort food. A staple in Arab cuisine, molokheya, as unappealing as it may look and sound to the peripheral eye and ear, your taste buds will certainly if not definitely disagree with the dish that feels like teta’s warm hug.
Made from jute mallow, this spinach-like dish has sparked debate throughout Arab history about its origins. While Egyptians might like to think they are the only ones who consume it, that is not the case. Molokheya is served in many different ways across the Levant, from Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria to Sudan, Tunis and even in Japan, where it is known as moroheya. This widespread popularity raises the question: where did this green goodness originate, and why are so many eager to claim it as their own? It’s a debate that both divides and unites the Middle East.
To answer speculation regarding the origins, the story goes as follows: during the Ancient Egyptian civilization, a group called the Hyksos attempted to take over Egypt. At the time, a plant called keya, growing along the Nile, was believed to be poisonous. The Hyksos captured many Egyptian hostages and force-fed them this plant, saying “molokeya” which translates to “eat keya” in their language. The Egyptians eventually realized the plant was not poisonous and suffered no ill effects from consuming it. After the Hyksos were expelled from Egypt, the plant became known as molokheya.
In Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook, author Nawal Nasrallah writes: “The ancient Egyptians left no culinary recipes, but food remains from their tombs and coffin murals, which depict baking and other food-related activities, testify to the sophisticated level of their cuisine… These depictions also reveal the abundance of their produce such as Jew’s mallow (molokheya).”
Despite its plentiful supply, molokheya wasn’t always available to the masses. According to folklore, the Caliph of Cairo, a ruler from the 10th-century Fatimid dynasty, outlawed the consumption of the viscous soup due to its alleged aphrodisiac effect on women.
With its ample nutritional values and diverse preparations, this delicious dish has traveled through oral history from North and East Africa to the Levant, and even all the way to Japan. But, to settle the debate once and for all, we can credit the Ancient Egyptians, and more specifically the Hyksos, for the spread of molokheya.
