I do like to eat my way around a country and Jordan was no exception. Eating like the locals and trying the cuisine, is just one way to find out more about a culture. When I visited Jordan in 2013 I not only planned to visit Petra and other ancient sites, but also to try the national dishes of Jordan. I managed those and a few more besides.
Food to try in Jordan
Hummus & falafel
It being the middle east hummus and falafel were on the list of course… Double chickpea fun with this classic dip and deep fried chickpea balls (both vegan).
We ate these on our first night in Amman, at the institution that is Hashims. Definitely worth a visit for a filling meal of numerous falafel (they even topped us up) and hummus to dip them in. I loved the variety of the falafels, but sadly we ate them too quickly for a picture.
Mansaf
Mansaf, chicken on rice with almonds and a goat yoghurt sauce, is a very traditional dish. However the goat yoghurt is something that you need to be prepared for (I was not so sure about this one I have to admit, I didn’t eat the sauce after having a little taste).
We tried this in Amman, with a selection of smaller side dishes – that’s what I love about the middle eastern cuisine – the ability to try lots of dishes, so even if you don’t like the main one, you won’t go hungry! Fattoush, tabbouli, olives, pickles and a bean dip completed our feast, alongside lovely flat bread.
Kofta
We enjoyed the Kofta (meatballs, usually made with lamb meat) with tomato sauce, served alongside stuffed eggplants and courgettes.
This dinner was in Petra with the owner of our hotel, Valley Star, Ibrahim. He was very hospitable taking us around town and this restaurant had his thumbs up as they did the stuffed eggplant like his mum does! As you can see all meals come with some kind of bread and dips.
Maglob
Maglob is also known as the upside down dish, as its turned out like an upside down cake.
It’s similar to a biriyani, made with fried chicken and vegetables. Then the rice is piled on top for cooking. They turn it out when serving so you get the chicken, then rice and then veggies. This was just what we needed in the desert camp in Wadi Rum, when the sunset and the night turned cold.
Sayadieh
Sayadieh is a fish dish that is popular in many countries around the middle east – I’ve found recipes from Eygpt, Syria and Lebanon. It’s a spiced fish dish, made with caramelised onions and traditionally served with rice.
We enjoyed this one in Aqaba, which is the port right on the Red Sea, so perfect for fresh fish. Ours also came with a tomato sauce and some roasted veggies.
Other things to note:
Whilst I enjoyed most of the food in Jordan, you do have to be aware that it’s carb heavy, with bread for every meal. Breakfasts are generally bread, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and dips. For people with dietary requirements it might be a struggle to find vegetarian or gluten free food (although if you like hummus you’ll never go hungry…), we even struggled to find fresh fruit to snack on. Luckily our taxi driver and the hotel owner Ibrahim insisted on providing us with fruit – their take was that if we tried to go to a market ourselves we would be ripped off. The kindness and consideration of people is amazing here!
In addition Jordan is a Muslim country so drinking isn’t really done here, except in tourist hotels. Be warned that local wine is not fantastic (we never got to taste wine in Jordan, but they do have vineyards); beer outside of a hotel is non alcoholic ‘malt drink’. Best to stick with what the locals drink and try a lemon and mint juice instead, very refreshing! Read more about our Jordan trip.
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Patricia says
It all looks so tasty, although I’m not sure I’m ready yet for the goat yoghurt (maybe on one of my more daring days). I’ve tried a kind of kofta before, and, of course, hummus and falafel are among my favorites. I’m really just learning and tasting new Middle Eastern foods now, so I’m excited to use your experience as tips for new things to sample here in Los Angeles (as Jordan is probably not in the cards this year). Thanks for sharing!
Katie Hughes says
I’m glad you appreciate it Patricia, let me know how you go finding some of the other dishes in LA!
Jen Morrow says
My mouth is watering! I love hummus and falafel. Some of these other dishes look familiar, like I have tried a version of these in the “middle eastern” cuisine restaurants in the US and UK. There is just nothing like eating the real deal in country.
Katie Hughes says
Exactly Jen – although I haven’t sought out Maglob anywhere before, but it’s great to get a local say ‘just like mum makes’!
Nicki says
I have had all these foods but not in Jordan! So I suppose I need to book myself a trip.
Did you find any desserts you loved?
Katie Hughes says
I didn’t really do desserts Nicki… unless you count Movenpick icecream at the hotel just outside Petra?!
Jessica C says
I’ll admit…I’m a picky eater and like to know what I’m eating before I eat it. Of course, that’s not always the best way to try new foods! Some of these dishes look super tasty while others I would give a try (because I’m trying to get better at that) but doubt I would eat the whole thing. It’s a great overview of food to be found in that area!
Katie Hughes says
Thanks Jessica – I had researched these dishes before I ate them to be fair, but I do eat pretty much anything!
Megan Jerrard says
Thanks for the overview – food has been something we’ve started spending a lot of time researching before we book a destination now that my husband is gluten free – I would love to get to Jordan, though we have our concerns about the carb heavy cuisine with Mike’s allergies – that said, as you noted, he like’s hummus so worst case he can just live off that!
Katie Hughes says
Hey Megan, I’m sure you can find meat and salads that will be ok, you may want to bring your own bread though or stick to rice. The coeliac society has a handy printout of how to ask for gluten free in different languages – I haven’t looked for an Arabic one though!
Christina says
Middle Eastern food is really tasty and pretty healthy too. Fortunately you can get falafel and hummus pretty much anywhere in the world. But it’s kind of special to have them in Jordan
Katie Hughes says
Yes exactly Christina! They were special because of the location and Hashim’s the first place we ate after we landed was a great buzzing place that was obviously popular with the locals.
Shobha says
Interesting! I’ve only ever tried Kofta – good to learn about all the other things I want to try. I am a carb lover and so I am sure I will be in heaven eating Jordanian food.
Katie Hughes says
I think you would love it Shobha!
Nisha says
It is looks like a veritable feast. Falafel has been my favorite for quite some years now. I also like Shawarma and Baba Ghanoush. But no goat yogurt, goat milk or goat cheese for me 🙂
Katie Hughes says
Yes I agree Nisha – I’m steering clear of the goat too!
Paige Wunder says
Eating local foods is always a favorite of mine. I’m a “part-time vegetarian” going back and forth about whether or not I want to eat meat and I’m always picky, but I think that there are definitely some goodies here that I would love! The hummus is something I can always get behind! Maglob looks pretty darn tasty! Thanks for sharing! Cheers!
Katie Hughes says
Thanks Paige!
JM says
Never been to Jordan and never tried Jordanian food before. But since i am very keen to try anything, then i will surely love their food. Looks yummy too.
Katie Hughes says
Excellent, I hope you get to try!
Jessica Elliott says
I’m on a veg kick and found it a bit hard to find dishes without meat (at least compared to Israel where I was before), but the rice was fantastic! And of course nothing beats fresh falafel!
Katie Hughes says
Yes that’s more tricky Jessica, we still found lots of salads though.
Kristine says
Jordanian food looks really delicious! I love hummus, falafel and kefta, and I can imagine everything else being just as yummy 🙂
Katie Hughes says
Ooh yes it is Kristine!
Stephanie says
I really want to go to Jordan. All of this food looks so amazing. I have so many questions for you! Did you feel safe? What was the reason you went? Do you have more posts on Jordan? Did you travel solo? I probably wouldn’t go solo, but I would really love to visit Jordan!!
Katie Hughes says
Hi Stephanie, I’m slowly updating my posts for my older travels. I travelled independently with another female friend and it was perfectly safe. We used booking.com to find hostels and hotels and when we couldn’t get local buses we hitched lifts (!) or hired a taxi. You do have to get used to the guys hitting on you whatever you are wearing, but we just ignored them!