Jordanian Culinary Specialties Not to Miss
Our journey in Jordan continues with a special culinary section. After sharing about Petra and the Wadi Rum desert, I invite you on a flavorful journey...
I knew nothing about Jordanian culinary specialties before tasting them, and it was truly a love at first bite: a feast for the eyes and the stomach!
A glimpse into Jordanian culinary specialties
Jordanian cuisine is best enjoyed leisurely, under the welcoming shade of a tree or a Bedouin tent: because in Jordan, the food is excellent, and that's an understatement! The meals are bursting with flavors... and opulence! Everything is colorful and delicious thanks to the mix of spices.
Here's a little preview: appetizers, main courses, and desserts from typical Jordanian meals...
Appetizers
To whet your appetite, a myriad of small dishes awaits you, like a giant mezze where everyone picks what they like. The appetizers are so plentiful that we were surprised several times to learn there was a second serving... But that's fine: the food is so delicious that we courageously pick up our forks again, with smiles to boot!
Here are the 4 appetizers that left the biggest impression on me.
- HummusA classic dish, hummus (or hommus, hoummous, houmos, oumos: well, everyone spells it as they wish!) is the star of appetizers. This chickpea and sesame paste flavored with garlic is eaten with a bit of bread.
- MtabbalJust as good as hummus (if not better!), I present the mtabbal (or moutabal or baba ganoush), more commonly known as >. This puree is typical of Mediterranean cuisine: it can be found in other countries like Turkey, Greece, Syria, and Lebanon (mtabbal or moutabal). We were able to prepare this recipe by grilling the eggplant, placed directly over the fire... for a rather strange result at first glance!
- TabboulehA dish that needs no introduction, tabbouleh also decorates Jordanian tables. Bringing a touch of freshness, this bulgur salad is one of the most popular salads in the Middle East and the Arab world. And on top of that, it's flavored with mint. A delight!
- FalafelsSpecial fork alert from François for falafels! An Arabic culinary specialty, these spiced chickpea (or fava bean) balls are deep-fried in oil: not the most diet-friendly option!
And there are many more, such as foul (or fuul, a fava bean dish), grilled vegetables, arugula salad...
Main Courses
The main meats prepared are lamb, goat, and chicken. The first type of meat is typically served in skewer form: kebabs. Chicken, on the other hand, is most often grilled or roasted.
Fish is primarily enjoyed near Aqaba, by the Red Sea (which we have not yet visited). We tried several meat specialties, but two stood out to me: maglouba and mansaf.
- MagloubaIts name (meaning >) perfectly explains the preparation and presentation of this dish. Chicken is cooked at the bottom of a pot. Vegetables (often potatoes) are then layered on top, followed by rice. The pot is then flipped and brought to the table just as it is: we lift it off, and voilà, the meal appears! Very delicious!
- MansafMansaf is a traditional Jordanian dish made with chunks of lamb stewed in a sauce of fermented goat yogurt (jamid) and served with rice topped with pine nuts. After the initial surprise (ah, the pronounced white sauce isn't a soup?), we enjoyed this dish... accompanied (in moderation!) by sauce.
Desserts
We absolutely love Arabic pastries and have a few addresses in Belgium for our monthly sugar fix... But never, oh never, have we eaten ones as good as in Jordan!
For those with a sweet tooth, fans of honey, nuts, pistachios, and almonds, it's a true feast for the senses:
- Baklava: layers of thin pastry filled with ground nuts and scented with sweetened water, orange blossom, or rose
- Kenafeh: a pastry soaked in syrup, made of angel hair, cheese, and pistachios
- Angel hair
- Ma'amouls: a date, nut, or pistachio-filled dessert
- Barazeks: a sesame and pistachio dessert
- Raihbes (more floury)...
One of my great pleasures while traveling is also to sample local fruits, and I truly indulged, especially with dates and figs.
Tea
Nothing starts without first having a glass of tea. A true institution, it is served very sweet and aromatic. Jordanian tea is sometimes enhanced with sage (miramiyé), which gives it a bitter flavor.
Special mention also goes to my second favorite drink: mint lemonade. Very refreshing. Be careful: you can easily become addicted!
My Favorite Dish
Bread, simply! I could eat it every day, with every meal. I'm crazy about it! There are several types and shapes: flatbreads, pita...
I have wonderful memories of the Bedouin camp, where a man made the flatbreads fly in preparation, like a pizza chef, before rolling each one out on a hot dome and then removing them with a graceful, ninja-like move.
We were lucky enough to learn how to make the bread ourselves during a memorable cooking class, which I will share more about soon.
A Cuisine to Discover
Jordanian cuisine is undoubtedly one of the best we've ever tasted! While I can't share with you the scents and flavors, I hope I've given you a taste of them with these images... And to make up for your frustration, I will soon publish an article with recipes from Jordan. Stay tuned, and... enjoy your meal!
And you, have you ever tasted Jordanian cuisine? What are your favorite dishes?