mloukhia ملوخية
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mloukhia” (ملوخية) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning stew of powdered jute leaves.
Meanings
- stew of powdered jute leaves
- mess, muddle (colloquial)
Usage
Tunisian mloukhiya is a dark, almost black dish made with powdered dried jute leaves. It simmers for a long time in olive oil with meat, often beef. It is unlike Egyptian mloukhiya, which is runnier and green. It is traditionally prepared for the Hijri New Year, so that the year will be "green", that is, prosperous. In the colloquial sense, the word describes a tangled situation or a confused speech: wallat mloukhiya, "it has turned into a mess".
Example
أمي طيّبت ملوخية لراس العام.
ommi tayybet mloukhiya l-ras el 3am.
“My mother cooked mloukhiya for the Hijri New Year.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mloukhia” but also “mloukhiya”, “mlou5ia”, “mloukhiyya” and “melokhia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.