01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Amman.
No tours listed for Amman yet — check back soon.
Mansaf lamb over rice with jameed yoghurt, msakhan chicken on taboon bread, knafeh dripping with sweet cheese, za'atar on the manakish. Jordan's kitchen is Levantine at its most nomadic.
04 The pantry
- Jameed, sun-dried salted yoghurt at the heart of mansaf
- Taboon bread, saj-baked flatbread for wraps and dips
- Za'atar, wild thyme, sumac and sesame spice blend
- Sumac, ground tart red berries for meat and salads
- Olive oil, thick and green from Jordanian groves
05 In the kitchen
- Reconstituting jameed yoghurt stones for mansaf sauce
- Baking musakhan chicken over sumac-onion-drenched taboon bread
- Layering knafeh semolina and cheese under sugar syrup
- Grilling shish taouk chicken over charcoal with garlic sauce
- Preparing hummus daily with warm chickpeas and tahini
06 Eat this first
- Mansaf, lamb over rice topped with fermented jameed yoghurt sauce
- Musakhan, sumac chicken and caramelised onion on taboon bread
- Kunafah nabulsi, orange-noodle pastry over stringy cheese and syrup
- Za'atar manakish, olive-oil flatbread crusted with thyme and sumac
- Mansaf, the national dish poured with jameed sauce over the table
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Amman.
Weather
Mediterranean climate — hot, dry summers (up to 35°C) and cool winters that occasionally bring snow to the higher hills. Spring and autumn are the sweet spot.
Currency
The Jordanian dinar (JOD); cash for taxis, cafés, and markets, cards in most restaurants and hotels. Tipping (~10%) is expected in restaurants.
Language
Arabic is the national language; English is widely spoken in the city centre and in restaurants. A little Arabic (marhaba, shukran) is warmly received.
Etiquette
Modest dress in downtown and religious sites — cover shoulders and knees. Always accept coffee or tea when offered; refusing feels curt.
Getting around
The city sits on seven steep hills — walking is possible in each neighbourhood but rarely between them. Yellow taxis are metered (insist on it); Careem and Uber also operate.
Prayer
Five calls to prayer shape the day, with Friday the main day of communal prayer. A few churches and biblical sites also mark Sunday.