Jordan’s feast of flavours

Whether it’s watching trendy young things at play in the hidden late night eateries of the cities, or learning to cook Jordanian style in a dedicated kitchen outside Petra, Jordan has something to offer the gastro-tourist looking for something different.

With their roots in nomadic cultures, Jordanians are among the world’s most hospitable people. For them, sharing their spectacular food is a favourite way of binding families, friends and communities together.

Jordanian cuisine belongs to the great Arabian culinary traditions with strong Lebanese influences and is recognised as being among the most sophisticated and elaborate in the world.

That means visitors to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan can expect a meal to be built around mezze; posher Arabic restaurants might offer 30 to 40 options. These small plates of food are meant to be shared: two people could order five or six mezze between them.

Classic options include baba ghanouj (aubergine dip), shanklish (spiced goat’s cheese), tabbouleh (parsley salad) and kibbeh (balls of minced lamb) – but the point is to end up with a tableful of varying colours, textures and aromas to delight the eye and tickle the palate. Hot, fresh-baked khubez (flat bread) is always on hand for scooping and dipping, and visitor’s will find that there are no courses as such: the mezze – as well as any kebabs or grills ordered as a main – arrive whenever they’re ready!

Street food is delicious in Jordan: as well as the ubiquitous falafel sandwich and shwarma (similar to a doner kebab), hole-in-the-wall bakeries turn out bread rings, savoury pastries, Arabic-style pizzas with thyme, and dozens of other light bites.

But Arabic is not the only style. Amman is fast gaining a reputation for hosting some of the regions best restaurants, from French and Italian, to Japanese, Indian, South-East Asian and much more. Elsewhere the choice is less varied, but Petra, Aqaba and the Dead Sea hotels all host top-class eateries.

See below for a list of the country’s most delicious dining hot spots:

1. Fakhr El-Din – Classic, formal Syrian cuisine in a stunning townhouse. 2nd Circle, Amman (fakhreldin.com)

2. Haret Jdoudna – Splendid Arabic cuisine in a fine old traditional courtyard house, 30km from Amman. Madaba (romero-jordan.com)

3. Hashem – Fast-paced budget diner churning out simple meals 24 hours a day. Downtown Amman

4. Petra Kitchen – Working hands-on, alongside a designated chef and a host of local women in a kitchen to learn the secrets of traditional Jordanian cookery. Wadi Musa-Petra (petramoon.com/cuisinetours.htm)

5. Royal Yacht Club – Airy, spacious restaurant on Aqaba’s waterfront. Corniche, Aqaba (romero-jordan.com)

6. Tannoureen – Award-winning Lebanese cuisine in an elegant, upmarket suburb. Umm Uthaina, West Amman

7. Wild Jordan – Modern, informal café-restaurant with a wonderful terrace overlooking the capital. 1st Circle, Amman (wildjordancafe.com)

For further information about Jordan, visit Visitjordan.com.