Food in Jordan – Your ultimate guide to the best food

Whenever we travel, we always make a point to try as many local dishes as we can, and Jordan was no exception. The local food has very diverse influences, from the ancient traditions of the Bedouin tribes to modern Levant trends, making Jordan a fantastic place to start your journey into Middle Eastern cuisine.

Wherever you are in the country, from the bustling streets of Amman to the scenic desert landscapes of Wadi Rum, there are certain dishes that you need to try at least once. In this guide, we’ll share the most famous and unique dishes from Jordan, as well as our personal favourites. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did!

Food in Jordan – Starters/Sides

Falafel – A Street Food Staple of Jordan

Falafel, crispy, golden-brown chickpea balls, are an essential part of Jordanian street food. They are a popular snack or quick meal, perfect for on-the-go travellers. Restaurants and cafes usually serve them on pita bread with fresh vegetables, tahini, and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s flavourful, filling, and widely available throughout Jordan, from food carts to restaurants.

You can find falafel all over the Middle East. Many countries claim to have invented the food, and each has a slightly different recipe. In Jordan, restaurants season the falafel with a unique blend of herbs and spices like cumin, coriander, and garlic. 

We particularly enjoyed the Falafel in Jordan, more so than any other places we’ve visited in the Middle East (although the fava bean versions in Egypt are also great to try!). They’re a great snack to eat on the go, but we think it taste better when it’s fresh and crunchy.

Where to find: Our favourite falafel came from Hashem Restaurant in Amman. At local prices, it’s the best value-for-money meal around!

Tabbouleh – A Fresh Salad

If you’re looking for something refreshing and light, Tabbouleh is a great option. This herb-based salad features finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions, and bulgur wheat. The dressing is very simple – olive oil and lemon juice, but it makes it taste fresh and full of flavor. The balance of herbs and vegetables makes this a perfect side dish or accompaniment to any meal, especially when paired with grilled meats or falafel.

What makes Tabbouleh different from traditional Western salads is the absence of salad leaves—the dish consists mostly of herbs! We noticed that depending on the location, restaurants prepare tabbouleh differently. It is either a mix of various vegetables flavored with parsley or as a bowl made up of 80% herbs. Luckily, both versions taste delicious, especially as a side dish to heavier or fatty foods.

Where to find: You can find Tabbouleh in most restaurants and cafes in Jordan. It’s often a key salad in a Meze platter.

Fattoush – A Classic Salad with Crunch

Fattoush is another salad that you’ll find across Jordan. Made solely from fresh vegetables like cucumber, tomato, and radish mixed with crispy pitta bread. The dressing is a tangy mix of olive oil, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses, which gives it a unique, zesty flavour. Our favorite Fattoush included pomegranate seeds for a perfect pop of sweetness. However we learned that not every place serves it the same way!

Fattoush’s combination of textures—crunchy bread and fresh vegetables—perfectly complements heavier dishes like Mansaf or grilled meats. It’s also Karo’s favourite dish. She cannot get enough of the crunchy pitta bread that makes the salad so unique.

Where to find: Fattoush, like Tabbouleh, is pretty much everywhere!

Kibbeh – Fried Dumplings 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about food while travelling, it’s that every country has its own version of pizza or dumplings. Kibbeh is the latter. They take ground meat and onions and surround them with a paste of bulgar wheat and pine nuts. After that it is deep-fried or baked to crispy perfection. They reminded us of a meat version of a scotch egg if you’ve tried one before.

Personally, we found kibbeh to be often too dry to eat by itself (maybe we didn’t try the best ones!). Thankfully, they usually come as part of a mezze platter with plenty of dips to provide some much-needed moisture to this fried treat.

One of the rarer versions of kibbeh is kibbeh nayeh. It is made of raw meat, much like a steak tartare. It’s served as a dish to honour guests since it requires very high-quality beef.

Where to find: Most restaurants and cafes will have kibbeh on the menu, especially if they serve mezze. If you plan to visit Sufra (our recommendation for Mansaf), you can try their version of Kibbeh Bi Laban.

Food in Jordan – Dips

Hummus – A Mediterranean Staple

Hummus is a massively popular dip that people enjoy worldwide. It is made from mashed chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. You can find it everywhere across Jordan – it’s hard to find a place that doesn’t serve hummus! Their version is super creamy and smooth, made with plenty of olive oil. Each restaurant has a their own version of it. The ratios of lemon and tahini are slightly different – but they were all delicious.

Restaurants typically serve hummus as an appetizer or part of a meze platter. It is somethimes served as a main dish topped with chickpeas, parsley, and olive oil. In most cases, it comes with warm pita bread for dipping.

One version of hummus you must try in Jordan is ‘Fattet Hummus’ or ‘Chickpea Fattet’. It is basically broken-up pieces of crispy pitta bread, topped with hummus and chickpeas. Sometimes it is also has yogurt mixed with it.

Where to find: We’d be impressed if you found somewhere in Jordan that didn’t serve hummus!

Mutabal – or is it Baba Ganoush?

Baba Ganoush, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is a classic Mediterranean dip. It is made primarily of roasted eggplant (or aubergine, as we call it in the UK). We found out there’s actually a bit of a debate on the definition of a Baba Ganoush vs a Mutabal(or Moutabel). Apparently, if you make it with tahini, it’s a Mutabal, whereas Baba Ganoush should be made with pomegranate and walnut. What we do know is that both are super delicious.

Mutabal is similar to hummus, as it’s mixed with tahini, lemon, and garlic, but the flavour is completely different because of the eggplant. It’s smoky, tangy, and creamy – perfect for dipping in combination with hummus and other dips, which is why it’s a staple of Meze platters in Jordan.

Where to find: Most meze platters and traditional restaurants in Jordan will serve Mutabal.

Labneh – A Third Super-Dip

Rounding out our section of Mezze-staple dips is Labneh. It is a type of strained yogurt (similar to Greek Yogurt) that is also very popular for breakfast and sandwiches. Jordanians mainly use it as a dip or spread with bread and vegetables, not eat it with a spoon like some Western yogurts (it’s sour rather than sweet!).

Straining the yogurt gives it a thicker, creamier texture – sometimes, it can be almost solid, like a cheese! You’ll usually find it mixed with olive oil and herbs to add a fresh flavour that is perfect for contrasting with the smoky Mutabal on a mezze platter. Also, try a classic Jordanian sandwich recipe – toasted flatbreads with labneh, za’atar, mint and olives.

Where to find: Like the rest of our dips, most restaurants that serve mezze platters or Middle Eastern cuisine will have Labneh on their menu.

Food in Jordan – Mains

Mansaf – The National Dish

No visit to Jordan is complete without trying Mansaf, the country’s beloved national dish. This meal consists of tender lamb cooked in a rich, yogurt-based sauce made with jameed (a type of dry, fermented goats’ milk yogurt). The lamb is served over a bed of rice, and everything is topped with crunchy almonds and pine nuts. 

Traditionally, you eat Mansaf during big gatherings. It is served on a large platter, and everyone gathers around to enjoy the dish together, rolling rice and lamb into balls by hand. This dish is often a special meal for guests visiting, but you can find it in most sit-down restaurants.

We definitely enjoyed eating Mansaf. If cooked well, the lamb just falls apart, and the rice absorbs lots of flavour from the jameed. We will say, though, that the sour, salty jameed might not be to everyone’s taste, so if you aren’t sure, you can ask for the sauce on the side.

Where to find: We enjoyed the Mansaf at Sufra Restaurant in Amman and as part of the traditional bedouin dinner in Wadi Rum, but you can also find it in most traditional restaurants.

Manakish – Arabian Pizza

Who doesn’t love Pizza? Well, there are probably some people out there, but we’ve never met them. Manakish, the Middle Eastern answer to pizza, is also delicious. It’s basically a thick flatbread but topped with various ingredients. Usually it is a combination of herbs and cheese, with za’atar being the most popular topping (it’s also our favourite combo!). You can also find versions topped with spiced ground lamb, tomatoes, or even jameed!

Za’atar is a popular spice mix in Middle East. It is a blend of herbs (usually Lebanese oregano, thyme, and sometimes marjoram), sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. It is an excellent addition to the traditional flatbread and olive oil combination and adds a great flavour to vegetables and salads. If you haven’t already, you need to try it – we always keep some at home.

A bonus tip for those who like their flatbreads: see if you can find Arayes. They’re stuffed flatbreads a bit similar to quesadillas, perfect as a street food snack.

Where to find: If you take a walk around Amman, you’ll find plenty of small bakeries – just follow the smell of fresh bread! Try visiting B the Lebanese Bakery, which is well-known for its Manakish.

Maqluba – The Upside-Down Dish

Another must-try Jordanian dish is Maqluba, a comforting rice dish often prepared with chicken, lamb, or beef, along with a mix of vegetables like eggplant, cauliflower, and potatoes. The ingredients are cooked together in one pot. Once ready then the dish is flipped upside down onto a serving dish – hence the name “maqluba,” which means “upside down” in Arabic.

The result is an equally impressive and delicious dish! The juices from the meat and vegetables infuse the rice when someone flips it, so every bite is full of flavor.

Where to find: Jordanians often serve it on special occasions or as a family meal (we had it in a homestay in Petra!). However, you can also find it in most traditional restaurants.

Mujadara – Simple but Delicious 

Mujadara is proof that not everything needs to look fancy to be tasty. It consists of only three main ingredients – rice, lentils, and onions – with some olive oil and spices (normally just cumin). In Jordan in particular, you’ll also find different toppings like crispy onions and pine nuts. You’ll be surprised how much flavour you can get with such a simple recipe!

It’s a mainstay of home cooking in Jordan, cooked as a quick and cheap meal. It is a very good option for vegetarians. Not only is it super filling, but thanks to all the lentils, it provides a good source of protein. Occasionally, you’ll see it as a side for meat-based dishes or communal eating.

Where to find: Normally, in homestays and buffets, you can also find this dish in some traditional restaurants as a vegetarian option.

Food in Jordan – Drinks

Mint Lemonade – A Refreshing Favourite

We couldn’t write a guide about food in Jordan without mentioning mint lemonade. We fell in love with this drink the moment we first tasted it, and we’ve been ordering it in every Middle Eastern country ever since! 

There’s something special about the tartness of the lemon mixed with the refreshing mint (and the perfect amount of sugar – not too much!) that meant we couldn’t stop drinking it. Don’t worry about it being too sour most times it is actually too sweet. However you can ask for extra sugar on the side to make it as sweet or sour as you like it!

In particular, we found that the amount of blended mint in Jordan is much higher than in other countries, so make sure you drink with a straw; otherwise, you’ll end up with a mouthful of mint.

Where to find: Pretty much every restaurant and cafe will serve this delectable drink!

Bedouin Tea (Marmaraya) – also called Bedouin Whiskey

Bedouin tea is more than just a drink in Jordan. It is considered a symbol of hospitality and part of the country’s rich culture. It might feel a bit strange at first to drink a hot drink on a hot day but believe us, it does cool down the body and has many health benefits, too

Traditionally, Bedouins make the tea over an open fire by boiling water and sugar together in a metal kettle. Apparently, adding sugar to cold water and boiling it together makes the tea taste better. Then, they add black tea, sage, thyme, cardamom, and cinnamon, letting it simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.

We don’t usually drink black tea, especially one that is so strong and sweet. However, during our stay, we really enjoyed it and had it whenever we could. Every place makes it slightly differently, but the best flavor was in the desert, made over a wood fire.

Where to find: Pretty much every place -restaurant, cafe or shop will serve tea.

Food in Jordan – Desserts

Knafeh – Unconventionally Sweet

We can’t talk about food in Jordan without talking about dessert, and Knafeh (or sometimes Kunafa) is by far the most unique dessert you’ll find on your stay. The reason for that is the star ingredient, cheese! We’re not talking about a sweet cheese mix like you’ll find in a cheesecake but brined white cheese, much like mozzarella. 

The bakers usually bake or fry the cheese in a large metal pan and top it with a crispy dough. They use either shredded filo pastry (think baklava) or semolina. Then they soak the entire dish in a sweet syrup (rose-flavoured or similar) and finish it with pistachios. It ends up being this crazy mixture of sweet and savoury with some really unique textures and flavours – crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.

Where to find: You’ll see large pans of Knafeh in bakeries and sweet shops throughout Jordan. Especially in Amman, you will find Habibah Sweets, a popular chain where you can find this dessert.

Summary