Visitors to Jordan often focus on the country’s historic sites and distinctive natural features, such as the archeological wonders of Petra and the dramatic desert landscapes of Wadi Rum. While these attractions are spectacular, you can enhance your trip by pairing the classic attractions with equally distinctive food experiences around the country, from first-rate meals to culinary tours to cooking workshops.
When you arrive in Amman, Jordan’s capital, take time to relax at your lodging. Perhaps settle on the highest of the city’s seven hills at Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel Amman, where a warm Dead Sea mud wrap in the spa is an excellent jet lag antidote. Or opt for a room in the futuristic tower of Forbes Travel Guide Recommended W Amman, its vibrant artwork offering a more contemporary style. After you regroup, get ready for a feast.
Graze Through the City with Amman Food Tours
Book a culinary walk with Amman Food Tours, where you’ll enjoy ample samples of Jordan’s classic dishes, snacks and sweets as you learn about local food traditions.
Starting on Rainbow Street, Amman’s eating and drinking hub, you might sample manoushe, a thin flatbread topped with za’atar, the Middle East’s signature blend of herbs. You’ll watch the falafel maker at work in a nearby local stand, wander the narrow aisles of Souq Al-Sukar, explore what’s fresh in this busy fruit and vegetable market, then sit down in a historic restaurant for mansaf, an overflowing platter of lamb and rice with a rich yogurt sauce, considered Jordan’s national dish.
Save room for the visits to a long-standing pastry purveyor and an Arabic ice cream maker. It’s a delicious introduction to the city.
Cook with Beit Sitti
To delve deeper into Jordanian food traditions, sign up for a cooking workshop on the terrace at Beit Sitti, a women-run restaurant and culinary school in central Amman. On the leafy terrace, you’ll help prepare traditional dishes that might include mutabbal (a dip made from roasted eggplant, tahini and olive oil) or ma’loubeh (a chicken, eggplant, cauliflower and rice dish constructed upside down and flipped when served). You might bake bread in the outdoor oven and prep a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs with pomegranate-molasses dressing. After the meal, you’ll leave with the recipes to re-create them at home.
Even if cooking isn’t your thing, you can still enjoy a Beit Sitti experience. The organization operates a restaurant in the same building as the cooking school.
Dine at Nur
Explore the similarities and differences between Lebanese and Jordanian cuisines with a meal at Nur, Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Fairmont Amman’s Lebanese restaurant. You might start with hummus Beiruti (creamy chickpeas topped with parsley, mint, pickles and chopped vegetables), ful (stewed fava beans) or any of the mezze, from muhammara bil jouz (a savory red pepper spread) to kibbeh (a mix of minced lamb, bulghur and spices).
For something heartier, consider dishes like sayadiyeh samak (baked grouper with rice and fried onions), freeke lahm (lamb shank with buckwheat) and shish taouk (skewers of grilled chicken and vegetables), paired with spicy bread and pickles. End your meal on a sweet note with kunafa (semolina pastry filled with savory cheese and bathed in sugar syrup). Live music provides a sonic backdrop to your dinner most nights.
Support a Women-Owned Culinary Venture in Jerash
From Amman, it’s an hour’s drive north to the historic city of Jerash, one of the best-preserved ancient Roman communities in the world. After touring the majestic temples, theaters, plazas and other well-maintained structures that chronicle Roman settlement as far back as 400 B.C., refresh with lunch at Beit Khairat Souf. This women-owned social enterprise operates a restaurant and local food shop.
Sit in the shady garden for a traditional Jordanian meal, accompanied by freshly baked bread, housemade pickles and locally grown olives. After lunch and a cup of cardamom-scented coffee, browse the small shop, where you can purchase jams, spices or preserved vegetables as edible souvenirs of your Jordan travels.
Share Family Meals in Petra
In planning your visit to the country’s most famous archeological site, consider hiking through Petra’s “back door,” a less-traveled, moderate five-mile walk through the rocky desert landscape. You’ll approach Petra’s marvels more gradually and be able to better appreciate its natural setting.
Another way to enhance your Petra experience is to top off your visit with dinner in a local family’s home. A Piece of Jordan can arrange meals with a family that begin with a ritual coffee-service welcome and a demonstration of how particular dishes are prepared before sitting down with your hosts at their table nearly overflowing with food. You might wrap up your meal with pastries and a cup of tea outside in the garden, cooking up memories with your Jordanian hosts that are as vivid as your photos of the country’s historic landmarks.
