Food Culture in Jordan

What is the food culture like in Jordan? Based on Islamic religious beliefs, Bedouin customs and the natural environment of desert areas, Jordanian food has formed a unique flavor and is one of the world's famous cuisines. The most reassuring thing about eating in Muslim countries is that the raw materials are absolutely fresh and clean, because the canon absolutely prohibits eating unclean things.

Jordanian eating habits

Jordan is a country with only a small portion of it bordering the ocean, and it is largely landlocked. Because the climate of this country is not very good, many are deserts and mountains, so this country is mainly based on tourism. The inland areas of this country also have rivers flowing through them, so they also have freshwater resources and some aquatic products. Jordan has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, so the country's crops are mainly maize and wheat. The cuisine of this country is also relatively simple.

Because of the country's culture and customs and other reasons, meat is more popular in this country many times. Many people in this country prefer to eat beef or lamb. One of the more famous and representative dishes in this country is Jordanian cuisine. Jordanian dishes are mainly cheesy lamb or chicken rice. These two foods are relatively popular and representative local foods.

In Jordan, cheese lamb is a food that is not always easy to eat. They are often eaten when there are important festivals in the country. This dish is mainly made of cheese into a soup, and then the required beef is added to the soup for cooking, and served with suitable rice. This delicious food is very popular in Jordan. And there is also a delicacy in this country that is stuffed lamb. This food is as long as rice, onions and raisins are put into the cleaned mutton for brewing, which is also a more characteristic local food. Those who like it can taste the local cuisine while traveling in this country.

Introduction to the daily diet in Jordan

​A hospitable Jordanian may invite a visitor to their home, which is acceptable as long as it is not rude or taboo. Before and after eating, you should wash your hands carefully with water. Men and women should eat separately. After a meal, everyone sits together to drink coffee, play musical instruments and sing. For hospitable Jordanians, making guests happy is the most important thing.

The order in which Jordanians eat is appetizer, main course, dessert, coffee or tea.

Appetizers

All kinds of appetizers are collectively referred to as "meza". In most restaurants, appetizers are served first. The appetizers are very rich, so many people do not order the main meal, so only after the appetizers are eaten, the waiter will ask whether to order. Appetizers typically include: khobs or eish: Arabic bread; hummus: chickpea bisque with sesame paste, curry and lemon juice; baba ghanoush: a dough made from egg and sesame paste; foul medamess: curry, lemon juice , fennel and brown beans fried in olive oil; kibbe maqliya: fried meatballs; fattayer and sambusek: meat pie; tabouleh: salad with celery, tomatoes, onions, mint and lemon juice.

Main dish

Mansaf: Jordan's "national dish", a Bedouin specialty food, which belongs to a kind of hand-piled rice. Lamb is spread on rice and pine nuts, and then drizzled with cheese sauce. When eating, it is wrapped in a thin dough ; Kebabs: Char-grilled meat, with a choice of boneless chicken, lamb or beef, or spicy lamb; Farooj: Grilled chicken, usually served with bread and salad.

Sweets

Jordanians like to eat sweets, there are many varieties, and many of them can be taken home as tourist souvenirs for relatives and friends to taste. Baklawa: crepes covered with pine nuts and powdered sugar; kunafeh: dough covered with pine nuts or cheese; atayef: ramadan sweets, a pan-fried pancake; ma'moul: rosewater-treated dough with pine nuts and date palms ; mohallabiya: milk pudding; sahlab: a hot milk drink.

Drinks in Jordan

Tea: Jordanians make tea a part of their lives. Tea is usually sweet and a way to add calories, and some teas are infused with fresh mint. In fact, Jordan does not produce tea, and most of the black tea the locals drink comes from Sri Lanka.

Coffee: Coffee is an important tool to express friendliness. In small shops, the owner often toasts a cup of coffee first when guests enter the door. Arabica coffee is usually infused with cardamom for a strong flavor. Turkish coffee is likely to have particles in it, so don't drink it fast. If you don't want to drink any more, shake the glass left and right to signal to the owner, otherwise the owner will keep filling it up.

Alcohol: According to Islamic teachings, any "haml", that is, anything that makes people dizzy, is prohibited, including alcohol of course, so some Muslims who strictly adhere to the teachings do not drink alcohol at any time, especially hard liquor. So don't persuade locals to drink alcohol in order to show affection according to domestic habits. But aside from Ramadan, most hotels and bars in Jordan serve alcoholic beverages, and non-Muslims can also drink alcohol in large restaurants during Ramadan.

Snacks: shawarma: you can call it an "Arabian sandwich" with sliced beef and mutton on bread; falafel: a fried noodle ball made with chickpeas, onions, celery and peppers.

Note: During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, food is not allowed from sunrise to sunset, and restaurants are not open. If you happen to be traveling to Jordan during Ramadan, do as the locals do.