Yum…Pigeon and Green Slime
It’s been awhile since we’ve written about food. But today, it must be written about because we ate the Egyptian food we’ve been avoiding since we got here: hamam (pigeon) and mulukhiyya (Jew’s mallow).
Hamam (pigeon)
The word for pigeon in Arabic is remarkably similar to the word for bathroom, hammam. Hmm, not sure what that tells us, but thought it should be mentioned. Pigeon is usually served grilled or stuffed; I tried the stuffed version. My pigeon arrived on a bed of leaves, breast-plate face up with the rice stuffing puffed out of its chest. I began to tackle it with my knife and fork, but was told by our Egyptian friend that it was best eaten with my hands.
That was not easy to do, and I considered that he was playing a joke on me (much like D wondered when he was told by our Scottish friends to go commando under his kilt at our friends’ wedding). I picked up the tiny bird – everything was on my plate except the head – and bit into the breast. No meat, just spiced rice. As I picked through the bird I realized that there was very little meat at all. I stopped eating after I had picked out all the rice, but I was probably supposed to eat the skin and eat around the bones. I just wasn’t ready to get that intimate with my pigeon.
D demonstrates the delicate manner in which to eat a pigeon
I give stuffed pigeon a thumbs-up, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go out of my way to ever eat it again.
For those of you are interested and can catch a pigeon:
Recipe for Stuffed Pigeon
http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/poultry/egypt_stuffed%20pigeon.html
Mulukhiyya, “Jew’s mallow”
Even after learning the English word “Jew’s mallow” for mulukhiyya, I still don’t know what it is. Mulukhiyya is the name of the green, leafy plant, as well as the name of the dish, which looks like a bowl of green slime.
What a spread! From front to back, stuffed pigeon, chicken liver and green peppers, yogurt and mint dip, rice, tahini, mulukhiyya (the bowl of green slime), and meatballs in tomato sauce
Can I buy mulukhiyya in the United States? I have no idea, but that’s okay, because I really don’t think I ever will. It’s not that it tastes bad – mulukhiyya is served with tons of garlic and cooked in chicken or rabbit broth so the flavor is very nice. It’s the consistency. It’s slimy and stringy. You can mix it with rice, but then you have slimy, stringy green rice sliding down your throat. However, if you can fight your gag reflex at the texture, the taste is worth one bite. One.
For those of you who are interested and can find the vegetable that mulukhiyya is made from, which bears the same name:
Recipe for Mulukhiyya
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=170823
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February 21st, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Ha. I didn’t know Mulukhiyya was Jew’s Marrow in English.
Interesting place you’ve got here. I learnt a few things about my country I didn’t know. 🙂
February 21st, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Thanks for your comments, Mak. I checked out your blog and learned a few things about Egypt as well 🙂 I’ll continue to read your blog – it’s great.
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Hey guys, I think there was an r/l problem in the translation. Try searching for Jew’s mallow instead. Apparently the scientific name is Corchorus olitorius. Here’s a little more info about it: http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Corchorus+olitorius
I can’t take the slimy foods, personally. After avoiding natto for almost a year and a half after a first unplesant experience, I bought some natto sushi (maki rolls) recently. I took one bite, gagged, and could barely get it down. Yech.
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Thanks, Kirsten. Yet another embarassing mistake due to the r/l problem. Did I tell you about the time D asked for the movie “Election” at our video store in Japan? The manager showed him the way to the back room, thanks to an error in translation.
Mulukhiyya and natto are very similar in that no amount of mixing it with rice can disguise the slime. Natto has the added bonus of the putrid fermented smell though.
February 23rd, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Mmmmm slimy food. Its like okra. Nothing can make okra taste good. I’m sad I’ll be in Colombia when you guys get back (although, I’m going to miss the moving in fun which I so owe you guys…)… but I guess only a little sad because I’ll be in Colombia. I thought of you the other night as I indulged in some Amsterdam Felafel…
February 24th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Thanks. I’ll surely be coming back here too.
Oh. It is mallow and not marrow. Thanks Kirsten.
As for slimy, I don’t know. I never thought of it as slimy. It’s one of my favorite foods. But I guess this is a culture thing. I grew up “eating” it so I have no problem with it at all. Kinda like the live octopus dish in Korea. 🙂
May 18th, 2007 at 5:50 am
Hey guy – stumbled on your blog while planning a trip to Egypt, and now I’m more excited than ever.
But what’s wrong with slime? I actually planted mloukhiya once – it looks kind of like spinach. The problem is that you need a special weapon to slice into thread-thin slices, otherwise it won’t slime properly.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hey, you can find Mulukhiyya at a lot of the mediterranean stores in the DC area – especially in Northern VA. They sell it in the freezer sections and there are different ways to make it. (The Lebanese Butcher off Rt 29 is a good place to consistently find it). You have to eat it the same day (the taste to me goes down if you eat it the day after) and I like it better if you blend it so it’s smooth. And you MUST use lots of garlic and it’s good to cook with lamb or chicken. And lots of people like lemon on it (I don’t).
This is THE comfort food for every Arab I know, if you have it at a dinner for Arab’s it’s a big hit, although every has their own way to cook it.