9 Dishes You Must Try in Jordan | Best Jordanian Food

Jordan is situated near the crossing of Asia, Africa, and Europe in the Western Asia sub-continent. The Western Part of Jordan is surrounded by Israel, Egypt, the Dead Sea, the Red Sea, and the narrow coastline of the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan is a major tourist attraction spot because of the deserts of Wadi Rum Reserve, Petra, Amman, and Aqaba city. Besides tourism, another attraction of Jordan is the food. With certain regional differences, Jordanian cuisine is a subset of Levantine cuisine and has a lot in common with that of Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. Jordanian food is generally influenced by its historical ties to Turkish cuisine. Local alcoholic beverages include Petra named after a major architectural tourist attraction in Jordan.

The streets are full of dry fruit shops, sweet shops, souvenir and sand art shops, customized perfume shops, and many more. Turkish sand coffee is a must-try on the street of Jordan. Aqaba city, Jordan is world-famous for its water sports and activities.

Some of Jordan’s World-Famous Delicacies Include:

1. Mansaf

A traditional Arab dish is also the country’s national and popular dish and was earlier prepared with lesser-known ingredients, where lamb/camel meat was cooked with ghee or meat broth, and bread was served on the side. Around the 1920s, rice was added to the recipe, and over time, sour fermented yogurt was also added. Basic etiquette to eat Mansaf is by hands forming the balls of rice.

2. Shawarma

Slowly spinning spits with sliced lamb/chicken/beef are another import from the Ottoman empire that is commonplace in Jordan’s cities and villages. Warm pita bread pockets containing the thick, fatty meat are sprinkled with everything from raw onions to za-atar, a spice mixture that changes according to the cook but generally includes sesame seeds. When viewed from the street level, one shawarma business resembles another, yet the iconic Shawarma Reem sandwich is what you want and for that just order the cook and enjoy your Shawarma on the go while walking on the street.

3. Zarb

It is like an Arabian barbecue originating from the delicious treasury of Bedouin culture. An oven with charcoal is prepared before cooking meat and vegetables. Chicken/goat/sheep meat is cleaned, chopped, and marinated before being allowed to rest for flavor absorption. Vegetables are then chopped if required and finally, the barbecue rack is topped with two to three layers of meat and vegetables and then barbecued. Salad, hummus, and rice may be used as a side dish.

4. Fattet Hummus

A very common yet very delicious creamy concoction in Jordanian cuisine and goes with most of the dishes. It is a perfect breakfast option even for a vegetarian as it is loaded with protein and has chickpeas as the main ingredient. We can always accompany this dish with sweetened black tea.

5. Falafel 

It is a common street snack in Jordan made from seasoned ground chickpeas. Falafel balls are frequently put onto warm pita bread for a quick sandwich and are enjoyed for both late-night munchies and breakfast.

6. Fresh Juices

While taking a walk on the streets of Jordan you can easily find a bunch of juice trucks or vendors serving freshly prepared juices topped with a load of dry fruits, dates, and fresh olives.

7. Roasted Nuts

Another street load includes tons of shops with varieties of dry fruits roasted and garnished with salt, sugar, or other spices which are sold in attractive packaging.

8. Baklava

One of the most popular desserts across the middle east countries and also one of the best desserts on the streets of Jordan. Baklava is a layered filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and made sweet using honey or sugar syrup.

9. Kunafa

A sugar-sweetened spun pastry layered with cheese is also one of the most popular desserts across the middle east and Jordan. It is a must-try dessert if you ever visit Jordan.

You should absolutely put Jordan, one of the most popular tourist destinations, on your bucket list and give these meals a try in order to make your stay there unforgettable.