What to Eat in Jordan

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• What else should the list cover? Desserts and pastriesNon-alcoholic drinksLocal alcohol

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1. Try mansaf

   Jordan's national dish features tender lamb simmered in fermented dry yogurt broth called jameed. It is served atop paper-thin shrak flatbread and turmeric rice, crowned with fried almonds and pine nuts.

   Traditionally eaten during Friday family gatherings; pour the warm jameed sauce over the rice right before eating.

2. Try bedouin zarb

   A traditional underground Bedouin barbecue where marinated chicken or lamb, vegetables, and rice are layered on a metal rack and buried beneath desert sand over hot coals for hours.

   The meat becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender, carrying a distinct smoky aroma from local desert woods.

3. Try makloubeh

   A dramatic one-pot comfort meal of spiced rice layered with pan-fried eggplant, cauliflower, and chicken. The pot is theatrically flipped upside-down onto a broad serving tray before the table.

   Always paired with fresh plain yogurt or a chopped cucumber-and-mint salad to cut through the rich spices.

4. Try galayet bandora

   A rustic skillet dish of ripe tomatoes stewed with garlic, green chili peppers, and generous amounts of olive oil. Ordered plain as a vegetarian staple or enriched with cubed beef.

   Eaten without cutlery by scooping the tangy, simmering sauce directly from the pan with warm flatbread.

5. Try musakhan

   Roast chicken served over thick taboon flatbread laden with slow-cooked sweet onions, tangy purple sumac, and toasted pine nuts. Street kiosks also serve it as rolled snack wraps.

   Quality musakhan is easily recognized by its rich ruby onion color and the heavy presence of peppery virgin olive oil.

6. Try Jordanian falafel

   Crisp, golden spheres of seasoned ground chickpeas and fresh herbs. In downtown Amman, look for the stuffed version ('falafel mahshi') packed with sumac-spiced onions.

   Order it tucked into sesame ka'ak bread with creamy tahini sauce, pickled turnips, and mint for pennies on the street.

7. Try fattet hummus

   A beloved Friday brunch classic built with layers of toasted pita crisps, tender boiled chickpeas, and a warm whipped yogurt-tahini sauce, drizzled with sizzling ghee and pine nuts.

   Extremely filling and comforting; best enjoyed accompanied by fresh radishes, raw onions, and pickled peppers.

8. Try hummus bil-lahmeh

   Silky-smooth chickpea and tahini spread served warm, topped with freshly browned minced lamb and toasted pine nuts. Completely outshines any store-bought refrigerated tub.

   Traditional hummus parlors make it fresh constantly; use puffed pita to wipe the plate clean.

9. Try manakish

   Levantine flatbread baked in fiery brick ovens, brushed with olive oil and wild thyme-sumac za'atar or topped with salty akkawi cheese. The quintessential morning neighborhood bite.

   Ask for a 'cocktail' half-cheese half-za'atar pie, then fold it in half while steam is still escaping.

10. Try kibbeh

    Torpedo-shaped croquettes crafted from a fine bulgur and minced meat shell, packed with spiced minced lamb, onions, and pine nuts. Served either deep-fried or grilled over charcoal.

    A sign of culinary skill is a razor-thin, crispy outer shell that yields to a fragrant, juicy filling.

11. Try mujadara

    A wholesome vegetarian dish of brown lentils cooked with rice or coarse bulgur, crowned with a generous mound of deeply caramelized, crispy fried onions.

    Naturally vegan and filling; pairs exceptionally well with cold cucumber-garlic yogurt sauce.

12. Try Aqaba sayadieh

    The signature coastal dish of Aqaba on the Red Sea: fresh white fish served over caramelized onion and cumin-scented brown rice, garnished with toasted slivered nuts.

    Unlike the lamb-heavy dishes of northern Jordan, this specialty belongs strictly to the southern seaport.

13. Try bedouin shrak bread

    Paper-thin unleavened flatbread stretched by hand and baked in seconds over an inverted domed metal griddle called a saj. The structural foundation of mansaf and authentic shawarma.

    Best experienced hot off the metal dome at roadside bakeries along the Desert Highway.

14. Try knafeh Desserts and pastries

    The definitive Levantine sweet: stretchy mild cheese covered with crisp shredded pastry dough, soaked in warm sugar syrup and pistachios. In downtown Amman, crowds eat it standing right on the alleyway.

    Choose between 'na'ama' (fine semolina crust) and 'khishnah' (rough shredded phyllo strands).

15. Try warbat bil-ashta Desserts and pastries

    Flaky golden triangles of paper-thin phyllo pastry stuffed with cool clotted cream (ashta), doused in fragrant orange blossom syrup and crushed green pistachios.

    Buy them freshly baked from pastry shops so the pastry retains its shattering crunch against the soft cream.

16. Try ma'amoul cookies Desserts and pastries

    Melt-in-the-mouth semolina shortbread cookies stamped with intricate patterns using carved wooden molds. Filled with spiced date paste, crushed walnuts, or fragrant pistachios.

    Traditionally baked for holiday feasts like Eid and Easter; travels well and makes an ideal culinary souvenir.

17. Try umm ali Desserts and pastries

    A warm, comforting bread pudding made of flaked pastry baked in sweetened spiced milk and cream, loaded with flaked almonds, raisins, and toasted coconut.

    Served steaming hot in individual clay dishes; the ultimate dessert on crisp desert nights.

18. Try bedouin coffee (qahwa arabiya) Non-alcoholic drinks

    A golden, light-roast Arabic coffee infused with heavily crushed green cardamom pods. Served unsweetened in handleless miniature cups as a universal gesture of hospitality.

    Always accept and hold the finjan with your right hand; gently tilt the cup side-to-side when finished to signal you are done.

19. Try sage or mint black tea Non-alcoholic drinks

    Robust black tea brewed over open embers, steeped with wild desert sage (maramia) or bundles of fresh spearmint. The standard digestive following every Jordanian meal.

    Locals brew it heavily sweetened; ask for 'bidun sukkar' if you want it without added sugar.

20. Try limonana Non-alcoholic drinks

    The iconic Middle Eastern frost drink made by blending freshly squeezed lemon juice with generous handfuls of spearmint leaves, simple syrup, and crushed ice into a slushie.

    Available at every corner juice stall; look for a vivid electric-green slush without separated liquid.

21. Try arak Local alcohol

    An unsweetened anise-flavored grape spirit distilled to high proof. When mixed with cold water and ice, it turns milky white in a phenomenon known as the louche effect.

    Sipped slowly alongside rich mezze platters and grilled kebabs rather than taken as a quick shot.

22. Try Jordanian wine Local alcohol

    Wines cultivated on the high-altitude basalt plateaus of northern Jordan near Mafraq. Look for full-bodied Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, or crisp local white blends.

    Available in bottle shops and restaurants throughout Christian enclaves in Amman, Madaba, and Fuheis.