From fantastic falafel to scrumptious shawarma, during our time in Jordan, we made an effort to try out all sorts of dishes to try and immerse ourselves in the culture.
Naturally, these opinions are our own and are based on our experiences. Tastes and preferences can vary widely, and what we enjoyed may not be the same for everyone. It’s not my intention to put anyone off from trying any of the dishes mentioned; in fact, I actively encourage everyone to try as much as they can and form their own opinions.
Of course, if you’ve tried any of these, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Falafels
We tried falafels at Wild Jordan Center in Amman for breakfast which were great but a MUST TRY in Amman is AlQuds Falafel on Rainbow Street where they sell falafel sandwiches.
This was an absolute must on my list, this place gets so many amazing reviews, so we had to try it. The sandwich contains falafels (obviously), pickles, tomatoes, and a tahini sauce, all of which is put in a panini and toasted up and it is absolutely delicious.
But the cost was absolutely shocking, it was all of 0.70JOD (or 7 dirhams) which just baffles me, that’s about 75p back in the UK; I thought that with it being so popular, and on the very touristy Rainbow Street, that it would have been more expensive.
Galayeh
If you’ve read our Wadi Rum post, you’ll know that we had galayeh with mushrooms for lunch on our second day in the desert. Basic galayeh is made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and olive oil, which, while great on its own, serves as a perfect base for other vegetables. In this instance, the addition of mushrooms bulked out the meal, enhanced the flavours, and introduced a new texture.
Even Hayden, who professes to hate mushrooms, polished off his serving, that’s how good it is. It’s amazing that such a simple dish can pack so much flavour.
Labneh
Labneh is yoghurt that has been twice strained to remove liquid whey. It’s typically used as a dip or spread, but in this instance, it was formed into balls and served with olive oil.
I ate these with the bread you can see in the photo, but it was hard work. I think maybe one or two would have been enough for me, but Hayden wasn’t interested in trying any 🤣.
As you might expect, they taste a bit sour, and also a bit salty. I think I should have tried these as part of a sharing platter so I had more variety than just sour yoghurt! But they were decent.
Mansaf
Before heading to Jordan, any website I looked at told me I had to try mansaf. Mansaf has three components; rice, meat, and jameed, and everywhere I looked, people raved about how jameed is the best part of the dish, the part that ties it all together. So what is it? It’s basically dried-out, fermented yoghurt that is essentially rehydrated to create a gravy/sauce.
I gave mansaf two chances. I had a chicken mansaf in Kerak at some little restaurant next to where we parked the car, and a lamb mansaf at My Mom’s Recipe Restaurant in Petra.
For both dishes, I found the rice to be fragrant, but the meat seemed lacking, and the jameed didn’t elevate the dish like I expected it to.
In fairness, mansaf is traditionally served on a big platter, and everyone tucks in, it’s a communal dish. I imagine it’s kind of like having a roast dinner in the UK, it’s a big, hearty, family meal, and I imagine I’d have enjoyed it more had it been like that.
Mofarakah
Mofarakah is a breakfast dish which has small cubes of potatoes and scrambled eggs mixed in.
I tried it at the Wild Jordan Center in Amman, which is where we were staying. I found the dish to be very flavourful, the potatoes had a good seasoning, the eggs were nice and fluffy, and it made for a good, filling breakfast.
Shawarma
Shawarma is made by stacking thin slices of meat on a skewer and then allowing it to cook on a rotisserie. Once cooked, the meat is shaved off with a knife and then served, typically with bread, sauce and veggies.
We went to Shawerma 3a Saj on Rainbow Street in Amman where we got a chicken shawarma meal, and it was so good. Another meal where we couldn’t help but tuck in before snapping a quick pic. We had our shawarma with chips, coleslaw, garlic sauce, pickles and cucumber, and it was delicious!
We also went to Al Daya’a in Queen Alia airport before flying home, and I’m glad we did because our flight was majorly delayed, so the shawarma meal we got from there did a great job at keeping us full.
Zarb
Zarb is one I’ve already mentioned in our Wadi Rum post. Zarb is a traditional way of cooking; a rack of food is buried in an underground pit with a fire underneath and is slowly cooked over several hours.
The zarb we had in Wadi Rum featured chicken and vegetables, and everything was so tender and smoky, I looked forward to eating it every day.
Your Turn
Now it’s your turn. Have you tried any of these? What did you think? Are there any dishes we should have tried in Jordan? Let us know in the comments below. 😊
