Jordanian Cuisine

Jordanian cuisine is a traditional style of food preparation originating from Jordan that has developed from centuries of social and political change with roots starting in Paleolithic period (c. 90,000 BC).

There is wide variety in Jordanian cuisine ranging from baking, sautéeing and grilling to stuffing of vegetables (grape leaves, eggplants, etc.), meat, and poultry. Also common in Jordanian cuisine is roasting, and/or preparing foods with special sauces.

As one of the largest producers of olives in the world, olive oil is the main cooking oil in Jordan. Herbs, garlic, spices, onion, tomato sauce and lemon are typical flavours found in Jordan. Jordanian food can vary from being extremely hot and spicy to being mild.

The most common and popular appetiser is hummus, which is a puree of chick peas blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic. Ful Medames is another well-known appetiser. A workers meal, today it has made its way to the tables of the upper class. A successful mezze must of course have koubba maqliya, labaneh, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, olives and pickles.

The most distinctive Jordanian dish is mansaf, the national dish of Jordan, a symbol in Jordanian culture for generosity.

Although simple fresh fruit is often served towards the end of a Jordanian meal, there is also dessert, such as baklava, hareeseh, knafeh, halva and qatayef a dish made specially for Ramadan.

In Jordanian cuisine, drinking coffee and tea flavored with na'na or meramiyyeh is almost a ritual.