I don’t know about you, but I love bringing something of a vacation home with me. One of my favorite things to bring is recipes and food ideas! Jordan has a surprisingly diverse cuisine (surprising only because when was the last time you saw a restaurant in the US specializing in Jordanian food?). In all honesty, Jordanian food is not always the world’s most beautiful food – but it more than makes up for it with taste!
Some fun recipes to try include:
Limonana Recipe (Jordanian Mint Lemonade)
An Edible Mosaic has this incredible recipe for Limonana. I found so many types of juices and drinks abroad that we do not have in the US – and Limonana (or Jordanian Mint Lemonade) is one of them!
Bedouin Sage Tea
I fell in love with Bedouin Sage tea at Petra by Night – it’s what they serve to drink! One thing to note is that Jordanians make it REALLY sweet. Like Southern Sweet Tea kind of sweet. (My kind of tea!) The sage is a great flavor in it, and it’s so different than what you’re used to finding in tea. A sip of this takes me back to Petra!
Tabbouleh
Chef in Disguise has my favorite recipe for Tabbouleh. While it’s traditionally a Lebanese dish, I found it quite often in Jordan. In that recipe, there are some really good points about what makes a Middle Eastern Tabbouleh vs. a Western one. In the US, I find that it’s more of a salad, or even a sort of pasta salad with quinoa. It is not like that at ALL in Jordan – it’s much more like this recipe.
Muttabal
When I first had Muttabal in Jordan, I thought it was Baba Ganoush. Apparently I’m not the only one who has this problem! I might have thought it was Baba Ganoush, but I also knew it was so much tastier than any I had had before. That’s because it was Muttabal! If you like hummus, you should try making this – it’s rich and creamy and a perfect appetizer!
Mudjadara
Rice is much more of a staple basically EVERYWHERE else in the world. It’s one of those things people eat almost daily, where in the US you might eat it once a week! I was getting a bit tired of plain rice by the time I made it to Jordan, so I was pleasantly surprised to find Mujadara. It’s a nice variation on the traditional rice dish because it includes lentils and even includes some onions for flavor.
