Products and eating habits
Mediterranean vegetables play a central role in local dishes: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers and onions grow in abundance in the fertile Jordan Valley. Here, the year-round mild climate allows for a wide range of crops. Among the most common fruits are apricots, grapes, citrus fruits, pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, and of course olives, which are eaten as is or processed into oil. Jordan has a modest but notable production of mejhoul dates - originally from Morocco - known for their large, fleshy and tasty fruits.
Herbs and spices are essential to Jordanian cuisine. We will find the unavoidable trio of mint, coriander and parsley, used both raw and cooked according to the recipes. Thyme, bay leaves, oregano and sage complete the picture. As for spices, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, pepper and ginger are used generously. One of the most common and unique spices in the region is sumac. This dark red powder with a pungent flavor comes from a plant close to the pistachio tree. It is used to make zaatar
, the main spice of Levantine cuisine, which contains sumac, but also thyme, oregano, cumin, coriander, green anise and sesame seeds. The sesame is used as is or reduced to a rich and creamy paste: tahini.Meat is mainly shared between mutton, chicken and lamb. Beef is rare, and pork, of course, almost totally absent. Fish is rarer, but it is still available, especially in Amman and, of course, in Aqaba, on the Red Sea. Cow's, sheep's and goat's milk are used in the production of a few cheeses such as nabulsi - which originates from the West Bank - and jibneh, which have a firm and elastic texture. Labneh is a preparation based on fermented curdled milk, which is drained for a long time to give it the texture of fresh cheese, although its taste is similar to yogurt. Jameed
is a typical Jordanian product in the form of dehydrated yogurt balls.The staple food is the Arabic bread called khobz, better known in France under the Greek name of "pita". Round and flat at the same time, it is often sprinkled with zaatar with a drizzle of olive oil (manakish). It is puffed up by cooking at a very high temperature and forms a pocket that can be filled with meat and vegetables, unlike the marqouq bread which is a completely flat pancake-like cake cooked on a saj (baking tray). Durum wheat has been produced in the region since time immemorial and bulgur or cracked wheat is widely consumed in Jordan. Freekeh
is a variation of unripe wheat, known as green wheat, with a slight smoky taste. Rice is also omnipresent.As far as restaurants are concerned, all the classics of local cuisine can be found throughout the country, although Amman, and to a lesser extent Aqaba, have the most varied offer as well as many international restaurants. Jordanian street food is worth a visit. Although it may seem a bit repetitive at times, if you look hard enough, you will be able to enjoy mezzes, falafels, shawarma
, pastries, etc. Although it is less likely to eat at a local's house, it can be a very rewarding experience, especially during Ramadan. Almost entirely Muslim, Jordanians fervently observe fasting during Ramadan, the date of which depends on the Hegira lunar calendar and therefore varies from year to year. Most restaurants are closed during the day, although a few are open. Jordanian society, although religious, is very tolerant of non-Muslims during this period and drinking alcohol during the rest of the year is not prohibited.The classics of Jordanian cuisine
Originally from the Eastern Mediterranean, mezzes are the local equivalent of Spanish tapas. This assortment of cold or hot appetizers can constitute a meal in its own right. They are usually served with arak. Among the most common mezze dishes is of course the must-have hummus made of chickpea puree with tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Baba ghanouj is the local eggplant caviar flavored with tahini. If it contains yogurt, it is called moutabal. Labneh is served with a drizzle of olive oil. Ful medames is a bean-based preparation presented as a hot stew or as a puree similar to hummus. Very cheap, this dish is eaten by everyone, from breakfast to dinner. Qalayet bandoora
is a very spicy tomato compote.Other popular mezes include tabouleh - very different from the tabouleh we eat in France - which is basically a salad of chopped parsley and mint with a little tomato and bulgur, drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. Fattoush is a tomato-cucumber-onion salad with toasted bread chips. Falafels are fried chickpea balls served with sesame cream. Fatayers are turnovers - usually triangular - filled with meat, spinach or cheese. Finally, kebbes or kibbeh are fried croquettes in the shape of a rugby ball, made of bulgur and stuffed with a mixture of meat and onion. Of note, kibbeh nayyeh
is a raw lamb hash with onion.The meat dishes are rich and varied. The most famous is the mansaf. Jordan's national dish, it is prepared with mutton cooked in a spicy jameed sauce, served with rice, almonds and pine nuts. It is a festive dish, reserved for weddings and birthdays. Quzi is a similar lamb and rice dish, originally from Iraq, but very popular in Jordan. As is kebsa, from Saudi Arabia, made with spicy rice and chicken. Maglouba
is a rice and vegetable dish, topped with meat, which is unmolded to allow the rice to cover the meat and whose name literally means "upside down".Kefta or kofta are finely spiced meatballs. They are cooked in various ways, such as in a tomato-based sauce (kofta b'bandoora) or with potatoes and tahini (kofta b'tahini). The shish kebab is a variety of marinated lamb or chicken kebabs cooked on charcoal with tomatoes and onions. The shawarma is the Arab equivalent of the Greek gyros or the Turkish doner kebab. It is a pita sandwich filled with mutton or chicken meat cooked on a spit. Street vendors will offer you various raw vegetables to stuff it with. Another emblem of local street food, the sfiha is a patty filled with spicy minced meat with tomato and pine nuts. The musakhan
is an Arabic bread covered with chicken and caramelized onions.There are also complete dishes such as maftoul, made of pearl couscous with chicken and chickpeas. The kousa mahshi are zucchinis stuffed with minced meat and rice. The same stuffing is used to make malfuf, cabbage leaf rolls. Mujaddara is a classic made of rice and lentils, topped with fried onion. Athan al-shayeb - better known by its Lebanese name " shish barak " - are lamb ravioli in a yogurt sauce. Bamia is a stew of okra (a green vegetable with a slight zucchini taste) in a tomato sauce. Finally, the popular fasoulia
is a stew made of tomato and white or green beans. Fish is mainly offered in Aqaba. It is served fried or grilled, with salad, lemon and French fries. You can also find sayadiya, a fish dish served with rice with pine nuts and onions. The most common fish served are sultan ibrahim (red mullet), shaour (emperor) or various varieties of grouper like hamour or najil.Desserts and drinks
Jordanian pastries are relatively similar to their neighbors, with plenty of honey and dried fruits. One of the great classics of the region is the kanafeh, a cake made of angel hair soaked in syrup and filled with fresh cheese and pistachios. The baklawa is made of alternating sheets of filo pastry and crushed dried fruits (walnuts, almonds, pistachios), all topped with honey syrup. The warbat
is quite similar but is always in the shape of a triangle, and sometimes contains a cream cheese filling with lemon syrup.Consumed during Ramadan, theatayef is a kind of rolled pancake filled with fresh cheese, nuts and honey. The basboussa or harissa (not to be confused with the North African chilli paste) is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. Barazeks are cookies with sesame seeds and pistachio slivers, while ma'amoul is a shortbread cookie filled with date paste and flavored with rose water, eaten by Muslims during Ramadan as well as by Eastern Christians at Easter. The mouhallabieh is a flan made with milk and rose or orange blossom water, topped with pistachios. Finally, halwa
is a kind of nougat made of sesame paste and dried fruits.Tea (chai) and coffee (kah'wah) are part of daily life in Jordan. They are not just hot drinks, but marks of hospitality. Both are usually served very sweet (say " bedoun suker " if you really can't stand sugar). Coffee - flavored with a few cardamom pods - is boiled three times before being served in small cups with its grounds at the bottom. With British influence, tea is drunk everywhere and all the time. Like coffee, tea is very strong. The Bedouins sometimes flavour it with sage and thyme. Sahlab, a hot drink made from milk and orchid bulb powder, is flavored with cinnamon and rose water. As for cold drinks, Jordanians are fond of fruit juices like qamar al-din
, an apricot nectar drunk during Ramadan. Although Jordan is a Muslim country, the manufacture and consumption of alcohol is common. One finds arak - the local equivalent of pastis - which is drunk as an aperitif, diluted in water with lots of ice. This white alcohol (between 40° and 50°) has been prepared for centuries by Eastern Christians. Red, white and rosé wines are available from the Jordan region as well as from neighboring countries (mainly Lebanon and the West Bank). Wines imported from Europe are obviously much more expensive. As for beer, there is Amstel - Dutch - and Petra, brewed in Jordan since 1964.
