Walking through the ancient city streets of Jordan allows travellers to bask in the illustrious scenery of the country, all while enjoying the multitude of sensational smells of the country’s gourmet cuisine. Just about everywhere you visit, there is delicious food waiting to be found, from the vendors serving up savoury Mediterranean gyros on warm, soft pita bread, to the local citizens carrying pots filled with flavourful stewed meats and aromatic rice.

Although travellers tend to be captivated by Jordan’s exquisite surface, filled with historical attractions such as the Dead Sea and Petra, the Middle Eastern country feeds more than just the soul — it also offers an array of traditional Jordanian cuisine to satisfy anyone’s tastebuds.

“I think most people don’t realize how good the food is. They don’t have the expectation of it. They are expecting to go and see Petra or Jerash, or the Dead Sea, but they’re not expecting the food,” says Malia Asfour, director for Jordan Tourism Board North America. “They come back and go, ‘Oh my gosh, the food is so delicious.’ When you eat local, you get the traditional tastes... That’s what the tourists like; it’s the authenticity of the cuisine.”

Asfour, who frequently travels between the United States and Jordan, has noticed a true admiration for authentic Jordanian cuisine among the country’s visitors.

A Jordanian favourite is mansaf, a meal which is also the country’s national dish. When made traditionally, mansaf contains lamb, flatbread (known as shrak) and is garnished with a dried yogurt sauce and pine nuts, served over rice.

“When you walk into someone’s home, that is what they have, this kind of meal... Most of the time, it is put on a round table and people gather around and you eat it using your right hand,” explains Asfour, who emphasizes the significance of ancient cultural customs in Jordan.

Comparable to mansaf, other lunch and dinner meals would include stews with meat and vegetables served on top of rice. Another popular dish in Jordan is makloubeh, an upside-down dish that includes rice layered with baked or fried eggplant or cauliflower, topped with a layer of chicken or lamb.

However, to traditionally begin these meals, a mezze is often served. The appetizer-style menu includes a variety of smaller dishes including sauces and dips and is similar to tapas, with traditional Middle Eastern foods served such as tabbouleh, a salad made with finely chopped herbs, onions and tomatoes.

Although mansaf and mezze are popular dishes throughout Jordan, there are some dishes that tend to be more popular in specific regions of the country. According to Asfour, sayadieh is a popular meal in the southern part of Jordan. The dish contains fried fish seasoned with spices and served with rice and sauce. In the country’s northern region, the chicken dish muskhan is well-known. The chicken is seasoned with Arabic spices and served with sautéed onions and olive oil. It is then placed on top of bread and baked, then layered with more chicken and garnished with sauce.

As for beverages, coffee and tea have a strong presence in Jordan’s food culture. Arabic coffee, which involves an extended process of pounding, roasting and brewing of coffee beans, is infused with spices such as cardamom and is often served in Jordanian homes to its guests. Arabic coffee is made in a dallah, a long-spouted, metal coffee pot, and the coffee is served in small round cups that, unlike Westernized coffee cups, have no handles.

“Coffee is very much a symbol of hospitality,” says Asfour, adding that coffee welcomes guests into one’s home. Tea is also a very popular beverage in Jordanian homes, readily available and often served after a meal.

Alcoholic beverages, including beer and wine, have an increasing presence in Jordan, with Jordanian wine becoming one of the country’s leading exports.

“There are some Jordanian wines that have won some awards at some of the French festivals, which has been really awesome,” Asfour says.

With the country’s growing viticulture, she recently participated in a Jordanian wine tasting at Zumot Fine Wines.

“It was incredible; it was my first time. I think I tried at least 15 or 16 different types of wine. Each wine has a story of where it is located in Jordan and why it grows there, how it grows there and what’s around it,” she explains. “It’s really quite incredible... There is definitely a new interest in wine in the country.”

And the interest in Jordan doesn’t stop at wine. With its distinctive culture and cuisine, Jordan’s universal appeal satisfies all five of our senses.

Warm Welcome
When travelling to Jordan, visitors can expect to be welcomed to the country with open arms by its local citizens.

That’s all part of Bedouin culture, one of Jordan’s most well-known groups of people that Asfour says is known for its hospitality.

“They’re very friendly, very hospitable people that will give you the shirts off their backs,” she says. “Sometimes, I’m just blown away because I live here [in the U.S.], and I go back there and I’m just blown away with the hospitality... They are very interested in learning about you, your culture, your country and your ways. They’re very interested in teaching you about their ways.”

Whether you’re invited into an establishment or someone’s home, Asfour says that the country’s cuisine has often been a symbol to welcome guests.

“When you walk into someone’s door, immediately they are going to start serving you food. First you’re going to get your coffee and tea, and they’re going to start pulling things out of their house to feed you,” she says. “The hospitality and the cuisine are very tied into each other. I think that’s what’s so awesome about it. I don’t think you can separate the two.”

Although the cuisines found in Arab countries such as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon tend to parallel each other, Jordan continues to stand out for its tourism, as it is heavily populated by tourists throughout the year who visit for vacations and honeymoons, as well as to see the real-life “fountain of youth,” the Dead Sea.

“Jordan itself has been a stabilizing force within the region,” says Asfour. “I think that Jordan kind of stands out as the Switzerland of the Middle East. A calm, serene and beautiful country in a noisy neighbourhood and that has been very consistent throughout the years.”

Eat in Jordan
Some of the country's best restaurants to visit 

To enjoy traditional Jordanian cuisine, Jordan Tourism Board North America’s director, Malia Asfour, recommends a visit to one of these restaurants.

Amman:
Fakhr El-Din Restaurant — Expect some of the best mezze dishes and barbecue that Jordan has to offer.

Hashem — Asfour recommends a visit to this famous downtown dive for “the best hummus in the world.”

Habibah — At this sweets specialty shop, enjoy kanafeh, a famous Middle Eastern sweet dessert made of shredded phyllo and cheese, covered in syrup.

Kan Zaman — Very popular among tourists, this artisanal restaurant offers traditional foods such as stews with rice and vegetables, and stuffed squash or eggplant.

Petra/Wadi Musa:
The Petra Kitchen — For a truly unique restaurant experience, visit The Petra Kitchen and be immersed in the hospitality, culture and food of Jordan. Visitors can learn how to cook the traditional way as they prepare the food with local Jordanian people. • 


Photo Courtesy: Jordan Tourism Board