Moroccan Arabic: خبزة and بقلة
French: mauve
Khoubiza and bakoula are used interchangeably to refer to the common mallow plant (malva sylvestris), as well as the Mallow Salad made with it. The leaves are chopped, steamed and then sauteed with olive oil, spices, olives and preserved lemon.
The same preparation is used to make Moroccan Spinach Salad, which because of its similarity to the mallow salad, might also be referred to as bakoula. Similarly, you may hear Moroccans refer to spinach as bakoula roumia (European mallow). Both the cooked spinach and mallow salads are typically eaten as dips with Moroccan bread.
Health Benefits of Mallows
Mallows grow wild in Morocco and around the Mediterranean. In addition to being served as a green, they're used in traditional medicine to treat asthma, bronchitis, constipation, and hemorrhoids.
