What to Eat in Jordan’s Christian and Wine-Producing Areas

Jordan’s food culture bridges fertile river valleys and cool limestone plateaus, where olives, grapes, and wheat thrive. In Christian towns like Madaba, Fuheis, and Salt, seasonal produce and home cooking anchor daily life, with vineyards edging fields of figs and almonds.

Meals are communal and unhurried, centered on shared platters and breads. Autumn olive pressing and spring grape-leaf picking set the calendar, while church feasts and family Sundays shape when meat-heavy dishes or Lenten-friendly foods are served.

Mansaf, Jordan’s emblematic feast dish, centers on lamb simmered in a sauce of jameed, the tangy, sun-dried sheep’s yogurt reconstituted with water and gently whisked until silky. The meat is cooked until tender, rice or bulgur is prepared with the lamb broth, and everything is layered over shrak (thin Bedouin bread), then finished with ladles of jameed and a scatter of fried almonds or pine nuts. The flavor is rich, pleasantly sour, and savory, with contrasting textures of fluffy rice, soft lamb, pliant bread, and crisp nuts. Originating among tribes of central and southern Jordan, mansaf marks weddings, condolences, and honorific gatherings; in Christian communities of Madaba, Fuheis, and Salt it often anchors Easter lunches, baptisms, and large family occasions, typically served midday and eaten communally.

Musakhan layers taboon-style flatbread with long-cooked onions steeped in robust olive oil and bright sumac, then tops it with roasted chicken and toasted pine nuts before a final bake to crisp the edges. The onions are slowly softened with sumac, allspice, and a pinch of salt, allowing the fruity bitterness of the oil and the citrusy spice to penetrate the bread and meat. The result is tangy, aromatic, and deeply satisfying: juicy chicken, jammy onions, crackling bread, and nutty crunch. Though rooted in Palestinian kitchens, musakhan is widely prepared across Jordan and becomes especially prominent in the olive harvest months; families in Madaba, Fuheis, and Amman’s suburbs lay out round breads on long tables in autumn, celebrating the first pressing with a dish best eaten by hand at lunch or early evening.

Warak enab—stuffed grape leaves—uses tender spring leaves picked from arbors and vineyards, blanched just enough to roll around a filling of rice, minced lamb or beef, chopped tomatoes, onions, and herbs. Seasoned with allspice and black pepper, the rolls are packed tightly in a pot lined with lamb bones or potato slices, moistened with lemon juice and olive oil, weighted with a plate, and simmered until the leaves turn silky and the rice is perfumed. The flavor is lemon-bright, savory, and delicately spiced, with a clean herb finish and soft-tender texture. In Jordan’s wine-producing highlands around Madaba and Salt, households bottle or freeze leaves for year-round use; the dish appears at Sunday lunches, feast-day spreads, and picnics, served warm with yogurt as a main or cooled as part of a mezze table.

Makloubeh, literally “upside-down,” is a layered pot of spiced rice, meat, and vegetables inverted onto a platter in a dramatic flip. Eggplant, cauliflower, or potatoes are salted and fried or grilled; chicken or lamb is seared, then simmered with baharat, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves; the pot is stacked meat-first, then vegetables, then rice, before hot broth is poured in. When set, it is unmolded to reveal caramelized edges, tender meat, and separate, aromatic grains, typically accompanied by chopped tomato-cucumber salad and cool yogurt. A staple across Jordan, makloubeh in Christian towns such as Madaba and Fuheis often anchors Sunday midday meals after church, feeding large groups efficiently while showcasing the household’s spice balance and rice skills.

Ma’amoul are short, tender cookies made from semolina or farina enriched with butter or ghee, scented with mahlab and orange blossom or rose water. The dough is wrapped around fillings—date paste spiced with cinnamon, or walnut and pistachio mixtures lightly sweetened—then pressed into carved wooden molds that imprint patterns signaling the filling. Baked to a pale gold and dusted with powdered sugar, they crumble delicately and release a floral, buttery aroma. In Jordan, Christian families prepare ma’amoul in the days leading up to Easter as the first sweets after Lent, often gathering multiple generations to mold and bake; plates of cookies are offered to visitors on Easter Sunday, at baptisms, and during weddings, commonly paired with Arabic coffee or tea in homes from Madaba to Salt.

Jordanian cuisine blends highland agriculture and desert traditions, with olives, grapes, wheat, and lamb shaping everyday dishes and feast foods. In Christian towns and nearby vineyards, seasonal rhythms—olive pressing, grape-leaf picking, and Sunday family lunches—keep cooking closely tied to land and calendar. Explore more regional food guides and plan weather-smart trips with Sunheron.com to experience these meals where they belong.