Mansaf: A memorable Jordanian feast

For about a month between November and December this year, I spent most of my time in Amman, Jordan.  And I say most, because, well, I took a vacation in the middle, so let’s call it three weeks in Amman.  Before you expect this monster of a guide on everything there is to do, let’s reign back the expectations a hair. 

Why not Jordanian food in Jordan?

I was here in Jordan doing training for work.  Three different trainings in three weeks.  Most of our meals were taken care of within the trainings, and for dinners, we ate nearby, which catered to expats. Near where I stayed in Shmeisani in Amman, I had a Starbucks, relatively decent Chinese food, a sushi place, a Burger King and Pizza Hut, and a great Indian restaurant. This doesn’t really sound like a Jordanian experience, does it?

I mean sure, every day at training, we had Jordanian desserts galore, like this knafeh. The taste and ingredients are similar to baklava, but prepared differently.

Besides the dessert, food at training usually consisted of chicken, falafel, rice, pita, hummus, yogurt, pasta and a fattoush (fresh vegetable) salad. It’s not exciting. Maybe you can see how after weeks of this medley during the day, at night, all I wanted was a different cuisine.

1. Real Jordanian Food

But as my time in Jordan was coming to a close, I really, really wanted a real Jordanian meal. A feast, in fact. Through my web research, I found out about Mansaf, through Migrationology, a resource for people who want to learn about local culture through food and traveling. What hooked me was the title: Mansaf – The One Dish you have to eat in Jordan. When I read this, I knew it had to be my final meal. I can’t have my Jordanian experience to be mired by corporate caterers and expat-friendly food. If you want a technical breakdown of Mansaf and how it’s traditionally supposed to be eaten, definitely check out Migrationology’s post.

Mansaf brings us together

I remember hearing somewhere that food is what brings Jordanians together. Mansaf, which has been characterized as the national food of Jordan, is especially important to Jordanians. One Jordanian chef, Batool Rasheed, said of mansaf:

Mansaf also plays an important role in resolving conflicts between families or tribes. When issues arise, the heads of tribes visit one another with an accompanying group to try and resolve them. Traditionally, the host tribe or family will sacrifice a sheep and cook mansaf as a token of respect for their visitors. They eat this together as a way of marking the end of the dispute. 

And I can attest to that. Although none of my conflicts in Jordan were resolved over mansaf, I did share a lovely moment with a Jordanian man “over mansaf” at the King Abdullah I Mosque in Amman. The mansaf brought us together. (Side note, I am really only speculating that what he is holding is mansaf.)

2. Hungry gal on Hungry Street

After I told my friend and dinner buddy in Amman, Mike, that I wanted to try mansaf, he warned me that I would need to be really hungry. Since this conversation took place right as I was eating a late afternoon snack, we decided to go the following evening – my last night in Jordan.

He took me to “Hungry Street” in Amman, which is known for all of its restaurants. For people super curious to know, Hungry Street is actually Al Madinah Al Munawarah Street (in English). The plan was to go to a non-touristy Jordanian place for dinner, followed by a traditional Jordanian dessert shop after.

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

3. Mansaf at Al Dar Darak

The first stop was Al Dar Darak restaurant. When you first walk into the shop, the ground floor is a take away area. Round the corner and go upstairs to the restaurant. Although the restaurant was pretty empty (it was early in the evening for Jordan), there are typically separate seating areas for women. There is also a cordoned off prayer area in the corner, as well. When we went, on a random Tuesday evening, it was not busy. But we felt great being the only non-locals there.

Mike managed to order 2 mansafs and 2 lemonades. There was a little confusion about the sizes of our lemonade and I think there was some behind the scenes English/Arabic translations that were going on. But it was sorted out in the end, as awkward travel interactions usually are.

I know what you’re wondering – why is my lemonade green? I use the word “lemonade” very loosely. This drink is also known as mint lemon. The mint is where all that green comes from. So very minty. Tart from the lemon juice. And sweet from all the sugar they add into it. Delicious and super sweet and can be found literally anywhere in Jordan.

And very quickly, our mansaf arrived.

The main components of Mansaf

• rice
• lamb
• jameed yogurt (made from goat’s milk)
• shrak (the thin tortilla you see on top, and a hidden one underneath the rice)

When you peel off the top shrak, the lamb is hidden underneath, covered in jameed yogurt sauce. Depending on how saucy you like your life, there is a separate bowl of yogurt sauce on the side.

The lamb is cooked for so long that the meat is super tender and it falls off the bone. With literally no effort, I deboned all my meat, and was left with this deliciousness:

Although it was a really heavy meal, it was super delicious!!! Mike scraped his plate clean. Even though I was never going to finish the entire plate of rice, Mike reminded me there was still heavy Jordanian dessert to be had. So, as both his mom and my mom taught us, I finished the rest of the lamb and left the carbs.

4. Dessert at Habibah Sweets

And off we went, for dessert! In case anyone wants to recreate this memorable evening and feast, and you want to walk to dessert like we did (which is about 800 meters and a 9 minute walk), turn left when you leave Al Dar Darak. Not right. Sorry, Mike. I had to. 🙂

Also, there is a mild disclaimer that should happen with this plan. Walking around Amman is not easy, due to a combination of poor sidewalks and local driving/parking habits. Most expats have found walking around in Amman to be challenging. So, you should really only walk if you’re brave and determined.

So, onwards to Habibah Sweets.

Habibah Sweets is known for its knafeh – a traditional Jordanian dessert. Similar flavors and tastes to baklava, it’s made with string pastry, cheese, sugar syrup and pistachios. There are two kinds of knafeh – soft and hard. We didn’t know which was which, and with each bite, it was not any easier to tell. What was confusing was that the knafeh was swimming in a delicious pool of sugar syrup, so any intended texture of the knafeh was softly transformed by the sugar. One bite, we would disagree which one was the soft or the hard, and the next bite, we would be totally confused again.

Weeks later, I met a Jordanian woman and I asked her to clarify.

• The one without “hair” is soft.
• The one with hair is hard.

We don’t know why, but from an official Jordanian, there you go. Thanks, Mais!!

5. A big Thank You

Let me pause for a moment before I wrap up to thank my friend, Mike. Mike was with me on 2 of the 3 trainings, and since he now lives in Amman, he was literally my partner in crime and neighbor for the last month. Were it not for him, I would have laughed a lot less and cried a lot more. Mansaf and knafeh wasn’t what brought us together, but we celebrated our time in Jordan with it.

And since I am awful at taking photos with humans in it, I’ll wrap up this post with something that Mike and I laughed at over dinner… the strange way that I eat the rice on my plate…by boring a hole straight down the center. (And similar to how I eat ice cream in a pint)

Looking for more recommendations for your trip to Amman?

• Recommended luxury hotels in Amman: Grand Hyatt Amman and W Amman;
• Head out to the Dead Sea (only 30 miles away!) and stay at one of these fantastic resorts:
  • Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa
  • Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa
  • Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea – family friendly!
  • Crowne Plaza Dead Sea
• Besides the Dead Sea, consider a day trip out to Petra! Check out these great tours below:

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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