Meet with Cleopatra's Secret Soup-Molehiya

(2 Reviews)

Cyprus - Nicosia (North) - Nicosia

Activities

Overview

Mulukhiyah, molokhia, molohiya is the leaves of Corchorus Olitorius, commonly known as Nalta jute or Jew's mallow. Molehiya is a traditional food in Cyprus and it takes up to 2 moths to grow up and be ready for harvest. After harvest, local people get together and separate the leaves from the stems.

What do we offer in this experience?
I will pick you up from Nicosia to go fields for harvesting early in the morning. Afterwards, we harvested the Molehiya we will return back to Nicosia to my offices. There we will separate leaves from the stems for cooking. We also offer you to cook together and have a lunch together.

There are two options for cooking the Molohiya. One is fresh and other one is dried leaves. Cooked in a tomato based broth with onions and garlic. Lamb on the bone or Chicken with bone may also be added. For optimal results, lemon and potato are also used to help keep the consistency from becoming too mucilaginous or slimy. It is served with a nice broth consistency with sourdough bread.

Nutrition

The leaves are rich in betacarotene, iron, calcium, Vitamin C and more than 32 vitamins, minerals and trace elements. The plant has a potent antioxidantactivity with a significant α-tocopherol equivalent Vitamin E.

According to some internet sources, molokhiya means vegetable for King. During 6000 BC, a sick Egyptian King asked a bowl of hot soup and found it tasty. After taking hot soup every day, the King's illness was healed. Cleopatra also enjoyed the same soup. The soup was the Egyptian spinach called molokhiya. We believe that this miracle vegetable originated in India and Egypt.

Molokhiya is known as the king of vegetables. Its carotene contents are 4.6 times more than spinach, which Popeye loved, and 19 times more than broccoli. Its calcium contents are 9 times more than spinach and 10 times more than broccoli. Even vitamins B1 and B2 are five times more compared to spinach. It contains much more Vitamin E, C, potassium, iron, and other vegetable fibers than any other vegetables.