[3][4] It is used as a vegetable and is mainly eaten in Egypt, the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan), Sudan, Cyprus, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria.

Mulukhiyah is rather bitter, and when boiled, the resulting liquid is a thick, highly mucilaginous broth; it is often described as "slimy", rather like cooked okra.

Most scholars are of the opinion that mulukhiyah's origins lie in Ancient Egypt,[1][2] namely Corchorus capsularis,[8] which is used for food as well as for fiber.

Furthermore, on the 7th of Muharram in the year 395 AH (1005 AD) the Fatimid ruler of Egypt el-Hakem be Amr Ellah (The Governor by the Order of God)(r. 996–1021) issued a decree which prohibited his subjects from eating the mulukhiyah, which was thought to be an aphrodisiac.

[10] 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.

[citation needed] The soup is served on cooked white rice or with a side of Egyptian flatbread (ʿeish baladi).

Also, in northern Lebanon, a dish called mloukhiye b zeit is made using fresh leaves and shoots of the Nalta jute plant, cooked in olive oil, onions, garlic, tomatoes and chilli peppers; it is a popular summer side dish, especially in Miniyeh-Danniyeh and Akkar districts.

A whole chicken is cut open, the intestines removed, and the innards stuffed with herbs, spices and raw rice then sewn shut with thick thread.

The chicken is then boiled to create the broth for the molokhia soup which, after preparation, is served as five separate components: The molokhia soup, Arabic flat bread, the chicken (stuffed with flavored rice), additional plain rice, and a small bowl with a mixture of lemon juice and sliced chilli.

The leaves, already separated from the stems, are dried then ground to produce a very fine powder and stored in jars or other tightly closed containers.

The powder is prepared with olive oil and some sometimes tomato paste into a sauce, not soup, and big chunks of chuck beef are often added halfway through cooking.

The sauce is served in small deep plates with a piece of beef and eaten with preferably white hearty traditional bread.

[citation needed] Among the Yorubas in south-west Nigeria, it is called ewedu[20] and served with cooked yam flour (amala).

In The Gambia, it is referred to as kereng-kereng and is typically used to make supakanja (a dish mostly served on Saturdays and made with okra, red palm oil, fish and meat).

[citation needed] In Ghana, it is known as ademe ewe or ayoyo leaves and used to make accompanying soups for banku (a corn cassavas dough dish) or cooked rice).