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Newsgroups: soc.culture.palestine
From: louay@turing.toronto.edu (Louay Gammo)
Subject: Re: molokhiya
Message-ID: <1993Nov25.115825.11711@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
References: <jacobw-211193153549@humc72.harvard.edu>
Date: 25 Nov 93 16:58:25 GMT
Lines: 52

In article <jacobw-211193153549@humc72.harvard.edu> jacobw@phoenix.princeton.edu (Jacob Weinstein) writes:
>am not a Palestinian but can tell you that there is no translation for
>molokhia, since it is the name of the green itself. It's interesting that

	I have read somewhere that 'molokhia' is a corruption of
	the word 'molokia' which is Arabic (and other semitic languages)
	means Royal. The plant was apparantly called the Royal Plant.

	I don't have my references in front of me, otherwise I would
	have cited them.

>you are familiar with it eaten over rice with crumbled bread. The basic
>recipe I know calls for a chicken to be boiled in water and then removed
>from it. The molokhiya, which has been chopped very fine in most Muslim
>villages and in Gaza and has been chopped to about the consistency of small
>parsley leaves among Jerusalem and some other Christians is then boiled in
>the water with some lemon. The lemon, which, again, tends to be used more
>at this stage by Christians, is to keep the molokhiya from getting slimy
>(like okra). The chicken, meanwhile is browned. Chopped garlic is also
>browned in a little oil and put into the molokhiya when it is cooked. In
>Gaza molokhiya is usually eaten with bread instead of rice. Quarters of
>lemon are normally served with it, more or less everywhere, to be sqeezed
>into it as desired. 

	Actually, we made most of the above varients in my family.
	It was not a matter of regional differences but a matter
	of taste: My mother would decide to make the finely chopped
	version sometimes, and sometimes the full leave version.
	We used lots of fried garlic and lemon juice. Lots of lemon
	juice. And with lemon slices when serving the dishes.

	My mother used to toast or fry little wedges of pita bread 
	until they are light orange colour and then serve them with 
	diced onions in red vinegar as a condiment with the
	molokhia.

	In Egypt, I believe they serve molokhia with Rabbits.

	I personally like molokhia when it is just sateed and then 
	I would make a sandwich from it. Yum. I never liked the
	watery version. (Same goes for Okra!)

>
>beth


	Louay


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