This article is about the plants. For the fiber derived from these plants, see Jute. For the vegetable obtained from these plants, see Mulukhiyah. For other plants also known as 'mallows', see Mallow.
Different common names are used in different contexts, with jute applying to the fiber produced from the plant, and jute mallow leaves for the leaves used as a vegetable.
The plants are tall, usually annual herbs, reaching a height of 2–4 m, unbranched or with only a few side branches. The leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate, 5–15 cm long, with an acuminate tip and a finely serrated or lobed margin. The flowers are small (2–3 cm diameter) and yellow, with five petals; the fruit is a many-seeded capsule.
The genus Corchorus is classified under the subfamilyGrewioideae of the family Malvaceae. It contains around 40 to 100 species.[2]
The genus Oceanopapaver, previously of uncertain placement, has recently been synonymized under Corchorus. The name was established by André Guillaumin in 1932 for the single species Oceanopapaver neocaledonicum Guillaumin from New Caledonia. The genus has been classified into a number of different families, including Capparaceae, Cistaceae, Papaveraceae, and Tiliaceae. The putative family name "Oceanopapaveraceae" has occasionally appeared in print and on the web but is a nomen nudum and has never been validly published nor recognised by any system of plant taxonomy.[3]
The genus Corchorus was first described by Linnaeus in his great work Species Plantarum (1753). It is derived from the Ancient Greek word κόρχοροςorκόρκορος (korkhorosorkorkoros), which referred to a wild plant of uncertain identity, possibly jute or wild asparagus.[4][5]
In North Africa and the Middle East, the young leaves of Corchorus species are known in Arabicasmalukhiyah and are used as green leafy vegetables . Malukhiyah is eaten widely in Egypt and some consider it the Egyptian national dish. It is featured in cuisines from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Tunisia. In Turkey and Cyprus, the plant is known as molohiyaormolocha and is usually cooked into a kind of chicken stew.[9] The leaves of Corchorus have been a staple Egyptian food since the time of the Pharaohs and it is from there that it gains its recognition and popularity. Varieties of mallow-leaves stew with rice is a well known Middle Eastern cuisine.
InNigerian cuisine, it is used in a stew known as ewedu, a condiment to other starch-based foods such as amala or added with gbegiri a local Nigerian soup. In Northern Nigeria it is known as Ayoyo. They use it to cook a sauce called (Miyan Ayoyo) which is commonly served with Tuwon MasaraorTuwon Allebo.
InGhana, it is mostly eaten by the people in the North and it is called ayoyo. It is mostly eaten with Tuo Zaafi (food prepared with cornflour).[7]
InSierra Leone it is known as krain krain (orcrain crain) and is cooked as stew. The stew is usually eaten with rice or foofoo (a traditional food made from cassava).[10][11]
Jute leaves are also consumed among the Luhya people of Western Kenya, where it is commonly known as mrendaormurere. It is eaten with starchy foods like ugali, a staple for most communities in Kenya.[12] In Northern Sudan it is called khudra, meaning "green" in Sudanese Arabic. The Songhai peopleofMali call it fakohoy.
InIndia, it is locally known as nalta sag. It is a favorite food during the summer months, especially in Sambalpur and the western part of Odisha. Usually it is lightly sauteed and eaten along with rice or rice gruel.
In the Philippines, C. olitorius is known as saluyot. It is commonly consumed as a leafy vegetable together with bamboo shoots.[13]
InThai cuisine, the leaves of the Corchorus olitorius (locally known as bai po; Thai: ใบปอ) are eaten blanched, together with plain rice congee. The taste resembles that of spinach and samphire.
^"UMCOR Sierra Leone Archives". UMCOR NGO (United Methodist Committee on Relief Non-Governmental Organization). Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011. In Bandajuma village, these beneficiaries of an UMCOR Sierra Leone food security program are harvesting the first crop of krain krain, for sale and own consumption.
