Cairo: Molokia, a green vegetable from the jute or mallow family, which is one of Egypt's traditional dishes has a strong aphrodisiac quality.

The Japanese and South Koreans are making it into green tea, tofu and even ice-cream.

It grows well in hot conditions like the Nile delta in summer - it can grow up to 25 cm per day.

Sam Habib, an Egyptian-born Australian likens preparing molokia to "the smell of Cairo on a Friday". Others claim its glutinous, sticky texture and garlicky smell make it a bit of an acquired taste.

The Japanese and Koreans value its amazing protein and folic acid levels - the highest for any green leaf vegetable. It also contains more iron and calcium and magnesium, all essential minerals increasingly hard to acquire in factory farmed spinach and broccoli.

The Molokia fad has been catching on especially in the Far East for the last 10 years. Molokia, though native to Egypt, has long since spread to the Levant.

"Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians cook molokia as leaves in the same way spinach is made, which takes away the glutinous, slimy taste and texture of the soup," she explains.

In the past, molokia was not easily obtainable in many countries. Now, shops in cities as far flung as Los Angeles and Sydney offer frozen molokia. Egyptians living in Japan and South Korea are even better off as fresh molokia can be purchased as the green vegetable is grown in both countries.

Stories abound about the origin of the traditional molokia dish but some may be apocryphal. It is claimed there are depictions of preparation of mallow leaves on ancient Egyptian tomb walls.

Legend has it that the modern name stems from a time when an Arab king was seriously ill. A doctor made a soup with molokia and cured the king hence the name "King's soup" or molokia, from the Arabic for kings - molouk.