Jordan
Abud
عبود
Bedouin bread of flour and water buried directly in hot sand and ash under the fire, then dusted off and torn apart.
western-asia
Jordan
Explore 60 foods connected to Jordan, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
60 foods12 leading categories1 Essentials guides
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The local shortlist
Jordan Essentials
11 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Jordan.
60 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Jordan
Akkoub
عكوب
Wild spiny thistle whose stems are stripped of thorns and stewed with lamb or yoghurt, foraged only in spring.
Lebanon
Amar el Din
قمر الدين
A thick apricot drink made from dried apricot paste dissolved in water, served cold during Ramadan across Lebanon and the Levant.
Djibouti
Arabic Coffee
قهوة عربية
Light roasted Arabica coffee with cardamom and saffron, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, symbol of Emirati hospitality, light golden color with distinct cardamom fragrance, served in tiny finjan cups.
Lebanon
Arak
عرق
A clear grape spirit twice or three times distilled with aniseed, diluted with water and ice so it turns milky white.
Lebanon
Baklava
بقلاوة
Layers of paper-thin phyllo brushed with butter and filled with chopped walnuts or pistachios, baked crisp then drenched in lemon- or rose-scented sugar syrup. One square, cut diamond-small, is the shared Ottoman dessert of the whole eastern Mediterranean.
Lebanon
Balilah
بليلة
Whole chickpeas warmed in their cooking liquid and dressed with garlic, lemon, cumin and olive oil, eaten with a spoon.
Jordan
Burbara
برباره
Wheat berries boiled soft and sweetened with sugar, cinnamon and anise, topped with nuts, raisins and pomegranate seeds.
United Arab Emirates
Dolmades
Ντολμάδες
Greek stuffed grape leaves with rice, herbs, and olive oil, rolled into small parcels. A meze and Clean Monday staple, tangy and herby, served cold with lemon, a national dish.
Lebanon
Fattoush
فتوش
Salad with crispy bread pieces, vegetables, and sumac dressing, fresh vegetables with crispy bread and tangy sumac dressing, well-balanced, a popular and refreshing Arabic salad in UAE, daily and beloved.
Jordan
Freekeh Soup
شوربة فريكة
Green wheat, smoked from being fire-roasted while young, simmered in chicken or lamb broth into a smoky, grainy soup.
Jordan
Galayet Bandora
قلاية بندورة
Tomatoes fried hard in olive oil with garlic and green chilli until they collapse into a thick sauce, scooped up with bread.
Lebanon
Garlic Paste
ثوم
Raw garlic emulsified with oil, lemon and salt into a stiff white paste, served with grilled chicken and in sandwiches.
Lebanon
Green Wheat
فريكة
Wheat harvested green, set alight so the chaff burns off, then dried and cracked, giving a smoky, chewy grain.
Aseer, Yemen
Haneeth
حنيث
Southern Saudi specialty of lamb slow-cooked in underground oven with aromatic leaves, king of Asir tables, served at weddings and celebrations, meat separates from bone effortlessly with distinct herbal aroma, an Asir regional icon.
Jordan
Harissa Semolina Cake
هريسة
Semolina cake baked with yoghurt and coconut, scored into diamonds, topped with an almond and soaked in syrup.
United Arab Emirates
Hummus
حمص
Chickpeas boiled soft and beaten with tahini, lemon and garlic into a smooth paste, swirled with olive oil — the shared Levantine staple claimed by every coast of the eastern Mediterranean, eaten with pita at any hour.
Karak, Jordan
Jameed
جميد
Sheep or goat yoghurt salted, strained and dried into hard white stones that keep for years and are reconstituted into sauce.
Jordan
Jibneh Baladi
جبنة بلدي
Fresh white sheep or goat cheese brined lightly and eaten within days, mild and squeaky.
Amman, Jordan
Ka'ak Asawer
كعك أساور
Sesame-crusted bread rings sold by the armful from barrows on the street, eaten torn open with a sachet of za'atar.
Jordan
Karawiya
كراويه
Dark caraway and cinnamon pudding thickened with rice flour, topped with coconut and nuts, made to celebrate a birth.
Aleppo, Lebanon
Kibbeh
كبة
Meat and bulgur croquettes, fried or baked, crispy exterior with well-seasoned meat and proper bulgur texture, a popular Arabic dish in UAE, traditional and beloved, festive and daily, versatile and hearty.
Nablus, Palestine
Knafeh
كنافة
Sweet cheese pastry with vermicelli-like kataifi dough, soaked in sugar syrup, often topped with pistachios, crispy shredded dough with melted cheese center and proper syrup soaking, a beloved Arab dessert.
United Arab Emirates
Ma'amoul
معمول
Date-filled semolina cookies pressed into wooden molds with decorative patterns, dusted with icing sugar, an Eid favorite, crumbly yet firm texture with distinct mold patterns and generous date filling.
Jordan
Makmoura
مكمورة
Layers of thin dough packed with onion, sumac, olive oil and chicken and baked until the top browns and the onions collapse.
Jordan
Mansaf
منسف
Lamb simmered in a sauce of reconstituted dried fermented yoghurt, poured over rice and thin shrak bread and scattered with almonds and pine nuts.
Jordan
Maqluba
مقلوبة
Rice layered with fried aubergine, cauliflower and lamb or chicken in a pot, cooked, then upended onto a tray so the layers show.
Lebanon
Marinated Chicken Skewers
شيش طاووق
Chicken cubes marinated in yoghurt, lemon, garlic and spices and grilled, served with garlic paste and pickles.
Israel
Mint Tea
תה נענע
A glass of black tea or hot water with a whole handful of fresh spearmint stems pushed into it, drunk after meals.
Lebanon
Muhallebi
Sakizli muhallebi
Muhallebi is the base Turkish milk pudding and the anchor of the muhallebici shop; it belongs in the catalog as the parent of the pudding family.
Lebanon
Mujaddara
مجدرة
Lentils and rice or bulgur cooked together and buried under deeply caramelised onions fried almost to black.
Palestine
Musakhan
مسخّن
Roasted chicken baked with sumac-caramelised onions over taboon bread soaked in olive oil, finished with fried pine nuts — Palestine's national dish from the Tulkarm and Jenin area.
Lebanon
Mutabbal
متبل
Aubergine charred whole over a flame, peeled and mashed with tahini, lemon and garlic into a pale smoky purée.
Nablus, Palestine
Nabulsi Cheese
جبنة نابلسية
Semi-firm brined white cheese from Nablus, flavoured with mahlab and mastic, often studded with nigella seeds — used in knafeh or fried.
Lebanon
Qatayef
قطايف
Small pancakes cooked on one side only, folded around walnut or clotted cream, then fried and soaked in syrup or served fresh.
Jordan
Rashoof
رشوف
Lentils and coarse bulgur cooked with reconstituted jameed into a thick sour porridge, eaten in the cold months.