Survival of the vegetarian in the holy land!

 A holiday was due, long over due. The stress and mundanity of Mumbais madness was getting on to both me and Sheetal.  Even weekend breaks and getaways weren't not doing much to the harrowed soul and the harried mind! Sheetal surprised me with a well-planned getaway to..... the middle of nowhere, only miles of arid deserts , ancient ruins , the Dead Sea and home to one of the most striking wonders of the world  Petra. The destination was Jordan! A small islamic country surrounded by Saudi Arabia on one side, Syria on the north, Israel on the North West and Egypt on the South West, nestled in between a bustling, traditional and yet modern Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan. 

The biggest worry we both had was - FOOD. How would two vegetarians survive ten days in a largely meat eating country? Bags were packed and one specially for food - yes we took our rations of khakhras, theplas,  chakris, soya snacks and ready to eat Paneer Makhani, Black Daal et al. Sheetal also carried a small box of ‘ methia no masalo’ thats how well prepared we were. 

But Jordan surprised us all the way , with its people , with its places and more so with the culinary indulgence. Now if I rant too much about what we did and what we saw it would be more of a travel blog rather than my epicurean experience. So will stick strictly with the food!

My first experience of middle eastern cuisine was at the Kuwait Airport and I decided to eat something local. There were plenty of international chains serving factory prepared food. But I wanted local. So my choice was Fatayer. This is very much like our naan only layered with zaatar and drenched in olive oil and baked in a clay oven to near perfection with oodles of goat cheese or jibneh. With the first bite, as streams of melted cheese ooze out mingling with the tasteful Zaatar and rich olive oil, I knew I was in Allah’s heaven! Delicious. I was sure I wouldnt go hungry for the next few days. 

Right I was! Our first meal in Amman was at a trendy open air terrace cafe - Book@cafe on the hip-n-happening al Rainbow street. Filled with ultra modern Jordanians, kissing in the air, smoking on hookahs and shying away from Alcohol, but hip to the core. Our first meal was truly worth remembering - A bowl of Fateh Hummus, was simply a gastronomical pleasure. More like a pie, made of the creamiest hummus, chunks of bread, chick peas and topped with crispy filo pastry and then baked. As you spoon into this delicious middle eastern pie, you now understand why wars were fought over who invented the Hummus!!! The other must mention is the Spanakopita, now Sheetal is a big Spinach fan a-la popeye, but this pie was delicious, a large dough-pie stuffed with soft spinach, feta cheese and olive oil and baked till golden. What a blessing for us vegetarians! 

Now as I talk about food of this region, you will hear loads of words like Zaatar, Labneh, Fatayeh and the regular Mezzes - Hummus, Moutabel, Muhaamarra which need no introduction. But let me write a bit about the odd ones! 

A Mezze Platter

Zaatar - Is a mixture of herbs very popular in the middle east, a very strong base of toasted sesame which is found in almost all middle eastern cuisines in some for or the other , along with thyme, fresh oregano, Basil etc. Sprinkle this on almost anything and see how it enhances the flavour and the experience. 

Labneh - Is basically thick curd, hung for more than 24 hours till it gets an almost cream like consistency , mixed with either garlic, or a sprinkle of Zaatar, Sumac. Eaten just about anytime of the day!

Fatayeh - Is a baked pie or naan with various fillings like spinach and cheese, just cheese or meat. 

Tahini - A sauce used in almost everything middle eastern - made with toasted sesame seeds and olive oil. 

The breakfast was also a vegetarians delight. I am not going to discuss the eggs and croissants but dwell on the traditional breakfast. The main course is  Foul,  a traditionaly egyptian dish, which is basically a fava bean stew, thickly cooked in a tomato gravy and onions, top it with loads of virgin oil, tahini, hummus and zaatar. Sumac is another delicious zaatar like herb made with dried pomegranates and spices. Then there is pile of arabic bread or pita, to be dipped in labneh, or olive oil and zataar or combinations of all three! This was just getting better and better. No middle eastern meal is complete without hummus! And I know my stomach was well taken care of till dinner. At some places we also got brilliant moutabel for breakfast. Moutabel is a cold mezze or a cold starter to be eaten as a dip with pita. Made with roasted eggplants ( similar to  baingan ka bharta) but cooked in olive oil with loads of fresh crunchy parsley, tahini & lemon juice. 

Morrocan Mint & Camomille Teas at Sufra

Tea and Coffee play an important role in the Jordanian meal. Cafes serving Chai or Kaffe are lined up everywhere. Morrocan Mint Tea is very popular, so is the strong Arabic Coffee. The Arabic Coffee is a strong local blend of coffee, powered along with Cardamom and Clove, and added to steam hot water with sugar or sukkar ,  the brew will keep you up for hours together. The strong aromas of coffee mingling with a tinge of Cardamom andClove will keep you asking for seconds, but beware this is one helluva strong coffee. Another very popular drink is Lemonade, fresh medditarranen lemons, squeezed with soda and lots of mint leaves served with crushed ice is perfect to beat the scorching hot sun! Local and imported beers are available plentiful and the Jordanian society is modern enough to allow alcohol in public places!

Eggplant with Bulgarian Cheese & Avocado

An evening at Fakhr El Din and Sufras both in Amman were worth it. Fakhr El Din in an Arabic Restaurant, expensive and posh. Where you are served a huge tray of raw salad which is to be eaten raw with lemon, along with a thick garlic paste. The strong garlic paste was just superb without leaving any smell or aftertaste. Another surprising dish was the Eggplant with Bulgarian cheese, thick slices of roasted eggplant and bulgarian cheese and slices of avacado all piled up and drenched in a thick pomegranate molasses. Sufras - a beautiful open air restaurant, with a terrace and stunning views of Amman. Dinner is served in a traditional arabic courtyard with water fountains and gently swaying palm trees. A daal  like soup called Adas was good to whet the appetite to a fantastic meal to come. Bowls of cold and hot mezze like Musabaha - a version of hummus,  Muttabel (the best in all of Jordan) , Batata Harra - very much like our dry potato subzi , Falafel - needs no introduction to the Indian foodie! , Fatayer Jibney , although most were starters but with the arabic bread to break, this was one satisfying meal. 

Pistachio Ice Cream with Sugar Cotton Candy

But what stole the show was the local pistachio ice cream with  halva ,  a creamy crunchy pistachio ice cream served with stringy candied sugar almost like cotton candy. As you spooned into the ice-cream and halva, strong pistachio flavor paired beautifully with the soft cotton candy which just simply melted in the mouth. Sure this is what heaven tastes like! 

All Time Favourite - The Baklava!

And of course no meal is complete with the famous baklava, available plentiful in all restaurants & roadside bakeries, just layers of pure sweet pleasure!

Fatayer from South Jordan

Every restaurant, every dish had its own charm and and its own local twist. The  Fatayer in Aqaba was much different almost like a roomali roti with cheese and spinach, topped with zaatar baked till crisp. A great snack anytime of the day or night! Varities of hummus was seen all over, some with meat, some with mushrooms, some with whole garbanzo beans. Do try them all!

Sweet shops and bakeries are seen everywhere. Jordanians love their bread and you get all sorts of arabic breads, pita, shraak which is very much like a large indian roti cooked on charcoals on an upside down tava. You will see locals piling up on bread at breakfast as much as at dinner, as if it were running out of the stuff. Jordanians do love their breads. 

Never once remaining hungry or missing home food and yes most of the Indian stuff was left behind at our last stop! Now I am dying to try out the fabulous delicacies that I saw, ate and relished in this beautiful country of Jordan, so await the photos on my facebook blog, for those who dont know of it : https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodconceptsmumbai/

Keep eating, dream and living food! 
Ciao till the next one!