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tossa jute
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Tossa jute
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Also called:
bush okra, nalta jute, or jute mallow
Formerly called:
Jew’s mallow
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Tossa jute
Tossa jute A pile of jute fibers from the tossa jute plant (Corchorus olitorius).

tossa jute

plant
Also known as: Corchorus olitorius, Jew’s mallow, bush okra, jute mallow, nalta jute(Show More)
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History
Taxonomy

See also list of plants in the family Malvaceae

tossa jute, (Corchorus olitorius), annual herbaceous plant that is cultivated as a source of jute fiber and for its edible leaves. Tossa jute is grown throughout tropical Asia and Africa, and its mucilaginous leaves and young stems are commonly eaten as a vegetable similar to okra. The plant is especially popular in a number of Arab countries, where it is used in a soup-based dish known as molokhia, or mulukhiyyah. The plant is often thought to be the mallow mentioned in the Book of Job (30:4), and the archaic name “Jew’s mallow” may have origins in this and the fact that it was historically a popular food among Egyptian Jews.

Jute, obtained from the bast fibers, is used to make low-cost fabrics such as burlap and twine, though the fibers of the tossa jute are considered to be somewhat inferior to those of the white jute (Corchorus capsularis). See also list of plant fibers.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.