BREAKING BREAD
Left: View from Ajloun Castle
FLAVOURS OF JORDAN
Mansaf Jordan’s national dish is a favourite among Eisa and Eman’s children. Succulent pieces of lamb are cooked in a slightly tangy sauce of jameed (dehydrated salted yoghurt) and served on a bed of rice or bulgur. It’s made across the country and is particularly popular for weddings, birthdays and funerals — UNESCO even added the dish to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022.
vegetable component, and that some opt for carrots, tomatoes or cauliflower instead. Within minutes, the warming scent of cinnamon envelopes the kitchen. Eman then washes the rice. “I use both short and, err, tall grain — this makes the rice fluffier,” she says, making sure not to get her mauve hijab wet. Once the chicken is done, she uses its broth
to partially cook the rice, adding flavour. But before cooking it, Eman covers the rice with a sheet of plastic topped with a metal plate, which she says traps the steam and makes the grains more tender. Eisa pops into the kitchen, bringing us a tray of refreshing black tea. When the chicken, rice and vegetables are
all ready, Eman assembles them layer by layer in a huge red saucepan, then adds the broth and allows everything to cook on a high heat on the hob for 20 minutes, before reducing the heat and cooking for a further 20 minutes. While the pot is simmering, we put the
finishing touches on a few side dishes Eman began preparing earlier that morning. The kitchen counter quickly fills with plates — there’s moutabel (a smoky aubergine dip with sumac and olive oil), musakhan (rolls of chicken, onion and sumac wrapped and cooked in thin, flaky shrak flatbread) and jarjeer salad (rocket leaves dressed with olive oil, raw onion, sumac and lemon juice). I turn my back for one second, and Eman is suddenly holding two more trays of food:
veal kofte with tomatoes and tahini served alongside cubed potatoes with ground lamb and white onion. It is a multi-dish feast that defines traditional Jordanian dining. She gestures for me to follow her into a corridor, where a freestanding oven is hooked up to a gas cylinder. Both trays go into the oven, and Eman then sits down on the adjacent marble stairs to finally take a breather. In front of us, a metal gate opens onto a
part of the family’s extensive garden that’s abundant with lime and pomegranate trees and bright orange lantana flowers. A gentle breeze passes through. Eman’s well-earned rest is interrupted when 13-year-old Samer charges at her from behind for a hug. We sit here for the next half-hour or so,
chatting about a host of things: politics, the Arabic meaning of my name, the meaning of hers and how she met Queen Rania in 2018, when the royal walked a part of the Jordan Trail. Before too long, it’s time for the big event:
taking the saucepan from the hob and turning it upside down — the act that gives maqluba its name. Eisa helps carry the dish through to the courtyard, where the children gather round for the ceremonial flipping. “In three, two, one…” Wallop! Thwack!
Thwack! Thwack! Eisa gives the upturned pot the beating of a lifetime to make sure nothing sticks to it. Eman and the children then set up
Moutabel This smoky aubergine dip is sometimes mistaken for baba ghanoush, but the key difference between the two lies in the quantity of spices and tahini used. Moutabel is made with chopped grilled aubergine, tahini and garlic and is topped with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and perhaps a sprinkling of sumac. It’s best eaten with warm, crispy shrak flatbread.
Kishk These discs of cracked bulgur mixed with sour, fermented yoghurt are Eman’s go-to breakfast. There are variations of kishk across North Africa, the Levant, the Caucasus, Turkey and Central Asia, but the Jordanian version sees the bulgur and yoghurt mixed together, shaped into discs and placed on a cloth before being left out in the sun to dry.
Falafel This deep-fried chickpea classic is particularly popular on the streets of Amman. At legendary restaurant Hashem, they come stuffed with onion and sumac and served with a side of silky-smooth hummus. They’re cheap, delicious and ideal for those on the go.
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