Generous Levantine cuisine: lamb with fermented yogurt, mezze to share, kunafa dripping with syrup. You eat with your right hand and leave full.
Incontournables
National Bedouin dish: lamb simmered in a jameed sauce (fermented dried sheep's yoghurt), served over rice and shrak bread. A symbol of hospitality, traditionally eaten with the right hand.
Literally 'upside down': rice, lamb or chicken and vegetables fried together then flipped over in the dish when serving.
Balls of mashed chickpeas, herbs and spices, deep-fried, served in a pita with fresh vegetables and tahini.
Chickpea purée with tahini, or the fatteh version with chickpeas, yoghurt, pine nuts and crispy bread, often at breakfast.
An assortment to share: moutabal, tabbouleh, stuffed vine leaves (warak enab), mujaddara, labneh.
Viandes et legumes cuits lentement dans un four enterre dans le sable du desert, specialite bedouine.
Star dessert: soft white cheese between crispy strands of pastry (kadaif), drenched in fragrant syrup and pistachios.
Viande (poulet ou agneau) rotie a la broche, tranchee dans un pain avec ail, cornichons et frites.
Boissons
The noir tres sucre parfume a la sauge (maramiya) ou a la menthe, offert partout en signe d'hospitalite.
Light cardamom coffee served in a small cup, a symbol of Bedouin welcome.
Pomegranate, orange or lemon-mint (limonana) juices pressed to order, very common in summer.
An anise spirit that turns milky with water, drunk with mezze. Alcohol stays discreet and expensive in a mostly Muslim country.
Street food
Vocabulaire
| Langue locale | Francais |
|---|---|
| Shukran | Thank you |
| Al-hisab | The bill |
| Ma'a as-salama | Goodbye |
| Sahtein | Enjoy your meal |
| Halal | Permitted (allowed food) |
| Maya | Eau |
| Nabati / khudar | Vegetarien / legumes |
| Ktir zaki | It's very good |
Etiquette
Eat with the right hand, never the left, which is considered impure
Refusing three times before accepting is polite, but refusing any food can offend the host
Leaving a little on the plate signals you're full; an empty plate = the host will refill it
During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public during the day
Regime
Levantine cuisine is a vegetarian paradise: hummus, moutabal, falafel, tabbouleh, moujaddara
Specify 'nabati' (vegetarian); beware of meat broth in some rice dishes
Zaatar manaeesh and labneh make excellent meat-free breakfasts
Budget
0.50-3 JOD
Stands de rue, marches, vendeurs ambulants
5-15 JOD
Gargottes, cantines, restaurants familiaux
18-40 JOD
Restaurants connus, zones touristiques
Les voyageurs Orizn partagent leurs restaurants et street food preferes sur la carte live. Rejoins la communaute.