Jordanian cuisine — Bedouin-Levantine-Palestinian. Mansaf, maqluba, falafel, hummus. Hospitality at the heart of culture.
Mansaf
Mansaf — national dish. Lamb with rice and jameed (dried yogurt) and nuts and shrak bread beneath. Eaten with bare hands from shared plate. Hospitality ritual.
Maqluba
Maqluba — upside-down pot: rice + eggplant + potatoes + meat/chicken cooked in layers, flipped upside down when serving. Levantine-Palestinian-Jordanian.
Zarb
Zarb — Bedouin. Lamb and rice buried under coals in underground oven for hours. Traditional desert grill.
Mezze
Mezze — hummus, mutabbal, tabbouleh, fattoush, labneh, olives, baba ghanoush, grape leaves. Start of meal in restaurant. With Arabic bread.
Grills and Kofta
Charcoal grill, kofta (minced meat with parsley), kebab, shish tawook. Every meal with meat on holidays.
Bread
Arabic bread thin, used instead of spoon. Shrak bread (very thin, Bedouin), taboon bread (thick), Palestinian bread.
Sweets
Nablus kunafa, baklava, malabi, cheese halva, qamar el din juice, special Ramadan food. Arabic coffee (bitter) with dates for hospitality.