Today we embark on a gastronomic journey through Jordan—a country where Bedouin desert traditions collide with Levantine refinement. We’ll cook dishes that have gathered entire families and tribes around a single table for centuries.
🔥 Zarb (Zarb)
A legendary Bedouin dish: meat and vegetables slow-roasted in an earthen pit oven. At home, we recreate the magic of the desert in the oven—yielding impossibly juicy, smoky meat with caramelized vegetables.
Ingredients:
• Lamb (or chicken) — 1 kg, cut into large chunks
• Potatoes — 4 medium
• Carrots — 3
• Yellow onion — 2 large
• Tomatoes — 3
• Garlic — 6 cloves
• Olive oil — 4 tbsp
• Cumin (zira) — 2 tsp
• Turmeric — 1 tsp
• Ground cardamom — 1 tsp
• Black pepper — 1 tsp
• Salt — to taste
• Lemon — 1
• Fresh parsley — 1 bunch
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. In a large bowl, mix olive oil, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper, and salt (1.5 tsp). Add juice from half the lemon and crushed garlic cloves. This is the marinade base—the paste should be thick and fragrant.
2. Rub the marinade all over the meat, massaging the spices into the fibers. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes (ideally 2 hours in the fridge). The meat should darken and absorb the aromas.
3. Peel potatoes and cut into large quarters. Slice carrots into thick rounds (2-3 cm). Cut onions into large wedges lengthwise. Halve tomatoes. Lightly drizzle all vegetables with oil and salt.
4. Take a deep baking tray or roasting pan with a lid. Line the bottom with half the vegetables in a tight layer. Arrange the marinated meat on top. Cover with remaining vegetables. Pour 150 ml water along the edges (not over the meat!). Seal tightly with two layers of foil, then the lid—airtightness is key.
5. Place in the oven for 2.5 hours for lamb (1.5 hours for chicken). Do not open! Steam builds inside. Meat is done when fibers separate easily with a fork, and vegetables are soft with caramelized edges.
6. Carefully remove foil (steam will escape). Increase temperature to 200°C, return the uncovered tray to the oven for 15 minutes. The meat’s surface should brown and develop a crisp crust.
7. Before serving, squeeze juice from the remaining lemon half, generously sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve directly in the roasting pan—preserving the Bedouin tradition’s theatricality. Pair with flatbread or rice.
💡 Fact: Traditional zarb is cooked in a 1.5-meter-deep pit lined with scorching stones. Bedouins bury the meat-filled pot for 3-4 hours—this is how warriors and shepherds cooked when they had no time to tend a fire.
🥗 Fattoush (Fattoush)
A refreshing Levantine salad with crispy fried pita pieces and a tangy sumac dressing. Bright, tart, with a medley of textures—perfect alongside meat dishes or as a light meal on its own.
Ingredients:
• Pita bread — 2 pieces
• Tomatoes — 3 ripe
• Cucumbers — 2
• Romaine lettuce — 1 head (or iceberg)
• Radishes — 5-6
• Bell pepper — 1
• Green onions — 4 stalks
• Fresh parsley — 1 large bunch
• Fresh mint — 10-12 leaves
• Sumac — 2 tbsp
• Olive oil — 5 tbsp
• Lemon juice — 3 tbsp
• Pomegranate molasses (optional) — 1 tsp
• Garlic — 1 clove
• Salt — 1 tsp
• Black pepper — 0.5 tsp
Instructions:
1. Cut pita into 3×3 cm squares. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry pita pieces in batches until golden-brown and crisp (3-4 minutes per batch). They should resemble croutons—crunchy outside, slightly soft inside. Transfer to paper towels.
2. Dice tomatoes into 1.5 cm cubes. Cut cucumbers into similar cubes. Slice radishes into thin rounds (2 mm). Julienne bell pepper. Tear lettuce into large pieces. Combine all in a large bowl.
3. Thinly slice green onions. Roughly chop parsley (use leaves and tender stems—there’s plenty). Tear mint by hand or chiffonade (thin strips). Add to the vegetables. There should be lots of greens—they’re a full-fledged ingredient, not garnish.
4. Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk 3 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, sumac, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Taste—it should be bright and tart, with sumac’s tang. Add pomegranate molasses for depth if desired.
5. Five minutes before serving, drizzle salad with dressing and toss thoroughly by hand—this coats the vegetables better. Let sit 2-3 minutes for flavors to meld, but keep vegetables crisp.
6. Just before serving, add fried pita and toss quickly. They should stay crisp, only slightly absorbing the juices. Pile onto a flat platter.
7. Final touch: generously sprinkle with sumac (another 1 tbsp) and drizzle with oil. Serve immediately—fattoush is best fresh, when the pita still crackles.
💡 Fact: The name fattoush comes from the Arabic fatt—to crumble, break. This peasant dish was born from the need to use stale bread. Sumac is the salad’s calling card—its wine-red hue and lemony tang make fattoush instantly recognizable across the Levant.
🍰 Basbousa (Basbousa)
An Eastern semolina sweet soaked in fragrant syrup. Moist, porous texture with a crisp almond crust and a delicate coconut aftertaste—perfect for ending a Jordanian dinner.
Ingredients:
For the batter:
• Semolina — 2 cups (350 g)
• Sugar — 1 cup (200 g)
• Shredded coconut — 0.5 cup
• Butter — 150 g, softened
• Plain yogurt — 1 cup (250 g)
• Baking powder — 1.5 tsp
• Vanilla extract — 1 tsp
• Almonds — 20-25 whole
For the syrup:
• Sugar — 1.5 cups (300 g)
• Water — 1 cup (250 ml)
• Lemon juice — 2 tbsp
• Orange zest — from 1 orange
• Orange blossom water (optional) — 1 tsp
Instructions:
1. Start with the syrup (it needs to cool): in a saucepan, combine sugar, water, lemon juice, and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes without stirring. Syrup is ready when it slightly thickens and becomes viscous (test: a drop on a cold plate shouldn’t spread). Remove from heat and let cool completely.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, whisk semolina, sugar, shredded coconut, and baking powder until uniform—the dry mix should be airy, without lumps.
3. Add softened butter, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix with a spatula or by hand until a thick, sticky mass forms. The batter should be dense but soft—like damp sand. Let rest 10 minutes for the semolina to absorb moisture.
4. Grease a 23×33 cm pan (or a 26 cm round one) with butter. Spread the batter and smooth with a spatula dipped in water—the surface should be perfectly even. Use a sharp knife to score diamonds or squares (cut all the way through). Press an almond into the center of each piece.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes on the middle rack. Basbousa is done when the top turns golden-brown, edges pull away from the sides, and almonds are toasted. Test with a toothpick—it should come out almost dry, with a few crumbs.
6. Remove the pan from the oven. While the basbousa is still hot (this is critical!), slowly drizzle cold syrup over the entire surface. You’ll hear sizzling—the batter actively absorbs the syrup. Use all the syrup, pouring in several batches. The basbousa will swell and become glossy.
7. Let soak for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight at room temperature. Before serving, run the knife along the cuts again. Serve with tea or Arabic coffee—the sweetness perfectly contrasts the bitterness of the drinks.
💡 Fact: Basbousa is known by different names in every Arab country: harissa in Egypt, namoura in Syria, revani in Turkey. In Jordan, it’s made for every holiday, especially Ramadan. The secret to the perfect texture is temperature contrast: hot pastry and cold syrup create a porous, saturated structure.