Traditional Jordanian cuisine is like that of other Arab countries in many ways. Jordanian dishes are typical of those of Syria and Lebanon, Palestine, and the Arab Emirates. However, there are some differences. We have compiled a small list of Jordan's national dishes for you and recommend you try them.
Shawarma refers to a common dish spread throughout the Middle East. Real shawarma is made as a kind of pancake with lots of meat and herbs. In all Arab countries, vegetables, chicken, and lamb meat, but never pork, are widely used for its preparation.
Mansaf is lamb and rice cooked in sour cream. It is cooked, not stewed. This dish is served at weddings, dinner parties, or dinners. In Jordan, mansaf is made with laban, sour cream, and served on a large platter. Finely chopped lamb is placed on an even layer of rice, and roasted nuts are sprinkled on top. Often a flatbread or pita is placed under the rice layer.
Adas - Yellow lentils with chicken and onions in lemon juice, a dish eaten almost every day. This hearty chowder is usually eaten in winter.
Makluba - potatoes and eggplants are fried along with beef or lamb in a pot or pan. Then pre-fried rice is added, water is poured in, salt and spices are added, and the whole thing is stewed until cooked. Then the makluba is covered with a large dish and turned over. You get a meat-potato-rice casserole served on a large dish with sour cream.
Mluhiya is a soup made from meat, chicken, or rabbit with garlic, rice, and lemon juice. The leaves of various herbs native to Arab countries give the mluhiya a special spiciness.
Cotlets of coarsely ground peas are an inexpensive Jordanian dish that is liberally smeared with tahini, a paste made from the same yellow peas with sesame oil. Tahini is often eaten with meat or chicken dishes.
Arab ice cream with nuts, baklava (baklava) with pistachios and honey, mukhalabiya (jelly-like milk mousse), kanafa (sweet vermicelli with cheese) are served for dessert.
Jordan's beverages are known for mint tea with black tea and a little sugar. Jordanians are fond of coffee. Unlike neighboring Syria and Lebanon, where black pepper is traditionally added to coffee and the beans themselves are heavily roasted, Jordan drinks wasat, a mixture of lightly roasted coffee beans with cardamom.
