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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Egypt
Thick green soup made from very finely chopped jute leaves, cooked in broth and seasoned with toasted garlic and coriander. Served with rice or bread, often with chicken or rabbit, it is for many Egyptians the quintessential home dish.
Traditional dish from Egypt
Also known as: Mulukhiyah, Molokhia, Molokheya, Mloukhiya, ملوخية
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Molokhiya — Egypt
Molokhiya is made from the leaves of a plant in the genus Corchorus, jute, which in Egypt is also called molokhiya. The leaves are chopped very finely and cooked in a chicken or meat broth, which gives the dish a thick, slightly viscous texture that defines it.
The seasoning includes toasted garlic and ground coriander. Molokhiya is served with white rice or bread, usually accompanied by the fowl or meat used for the broth, often chicken or rabbit. In Alexandria and other coastal cities, there is a version with shrimp.
Egypt’s official tourism authorities say molokhiya may be the country’s national dish, and a 2023 study describes it as a symbol of homeland for many Egyptians. It is family food, made at home and also served in Egyptian restaurants.
There are several stories about its origin. One says the Hyksos forced Egyptians to eat the plant, which was thought to be poisonous, and no one got sick; another explains the name by an ancient word that would mean “royal,” because the dish was supposedly served only to kings and nobles. These are legends about the dish without verification.
Egypt
Jute-leaf soup regarded as a national dish by many Egyptians.
Finely chopped jute leaves (molokhiya), chicken or meat broth, toasted garlic and ground coriander. In Alexandria and on the coast, it may include shrimp.
In a bowl, with white rice or with bread, accompanied by chicken or rabbit. You can pour the soup over the rice or dip the bread into it.
Year-round, as family fare.
Your questions
It is a thick green soup made from very finely chopped jute leaves, cooked in broth and seasoned with garlic and coriander. In Egypt it is eaten with rice or bread, often with chicken or rabbit.
The plant is a leaf, but the dish is usually cooked in chicken or meat broth and served with the meat. If you need to avoid that, ask how it was prepared.
In Alexandria and other coastal cities, there is a version with shrimp instead of the chicken or rabbit more common elsewhere in the country.
Flavors of Egypt
Layers of toasted bread moistened with broth, rice and a garlic, vinegar and tomato sauce, topped with cooked meat. It’s the Eid al-Adha dish in Egypt and also appears at Coptic Easter and other family celebrations.
A multi-layered puff pastry made with samna, the clarified butter, baked until golden and crisp. It’s eaten plain, with honey, molasses or ashta, or with savory fillings; traditionally baked in clay ovens.
Slow-cooked dried fava beans until tender, partly mashed and seasoned with oil, cumin, lemon and garlic. It’s the most common breakfast in Egypt, served with baladi bread in homes, small restaurants and street carts.
Young pigeon stuffed with rice or fireek (green wheat), with onion and giblets, cooked in broth and then roasted or grilled until the skin browns. A classic on Egyptian tables, it is usually served in pairs.
Round buttery cookie, dusted with powdered sugar, plain or filled with ajameya (honey and walnuts), dates, or pistachio. It’s the sweet of Eid al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan, prepared at home or bought at bakeries and patisseries.
Rice, short pasta, lentils and chickpeas, topped with tomato sauce and crispy fried onions, served with garlic vinegar and a spicy sauce on the side. It is Egypt’s most popular everyday dish, sold in specialty shops and street carts, and was inscribed by UNESCO on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2025.
Fried patty made from ground dried fava beans and herbs, crunchy on the outside and soft inside. It’s the Egyptian version of falafel and, together with ful medames, forms Egypt’s most common breakfast, often served in a baladi bread sandwich.
Beef liver cut into thin strips and quickly fried with garlic and bell pepper, seasoned with cumin and lemon. It’s named after Alexandria and is served as a sandwich on the city’s thin bread, with tahini.
A dark-red drink made from dried hibiscus calyces steeped in water, with a tart flavor, sweetened and served cold or hot. In the Aswan region, among the Nubians, it is the welcome drink offered to arriving guests.
