Food

Jordanian cuisine is part of Levantine cuisine and shares many traits and similarities with the cuisine of 

Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, often with some local variations.

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By far the most dominant style of eating in Jordan, mezze is the small plate, salad, appetizer,

community style eating, aided by dipping, dunking and otherwise scooping with bread. Mezze plates are

typically rolled out before larger main dishes.

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A famous meat dish in Southern Jordan especially in the Bedouin Desert area of Petra and Wadi Rum is the 

Zarb which is prepared in a submerged oven also called a "taboon". It is considered a delicacy of that area.

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                                    Coffee and tea come in several forms in Jordan. Aside from the ubiquitous Nescafe,

                                    there is Turkish coffee and Arabic coffee. Turkish is the rich dark coffee with the grinds

                                    in the bottom of the cup and Arabic is much lighter and never served with sugar.

                                    Neither are drunk with milk and both tend to be flavoured with cardamom. 

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Tea in Jordan is usually black and sweet, brewed in the pot with the sugar and tastes best when brewed over a small open twig fire in the desert of Wadi Rum. It can be flavoured with mint or sage.

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Alcohol

While Jordan is a predominantly Muslim county, alcohol is available in liquor shops and many restaurants

but it can be expensive.

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Beer in Jordan has existed since its first introduction in the region thousands of years ago in ancient Iraq

and ancient Egypt; today the country has several companies producing beer.

In 1958, the first Amstel beer factory outside The Netherlands was established in Amman.

The country had no microbreweries till 2012  when Jordan's first microbrewery was established called

Carakale Brewery.

 

 

                                      There are several award winning wine producers in Jordan including St George wines.

                                      Red wines are made using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and Pinot Noir.

                                      White wines are made using Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and  Chenin Blanc                                                and other varietals.

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Arak 

While we have some excellent local wines, the best thing with mezze isn't wine, it's Arak. This aniseed spirit, diluted with water and ice, cleans the palate and sharpens the appetite so you're ready for a bite of something different. 

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For more details about Jordanian food, explore the Jordan Tourism Board page.

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