Mansaf

Mansaf is a Bedouin cattle breeder dish that has undergone changes in the 20th century. Initially, the dish was prepared only from camel or lamb meat, meat broth, ghee (purified ghee ) and bread ^[5] . In the 1920s, when rice became more popular, it was added to the dish. At first it was mixed with bulgur, then added without mixing. In a modern dish, rice is one of the main ingredients. Jamida Sauce appeared recently, as the Bedouins did not use jamid in their dishes to modern settlement ^[6] .

Jamid

Jamid is a hard, dry yogurt that resembles kurt , which is cooked by boiling sheep or goat milk . Then goat milk is left to dry and ferment ^[7] . Next, the mixture is kept in a thin gauze for making thick yogurt . Salt is added to the jamid daily, which thickens the yogurt for several days. In the end, yogurt becomes very thick and takes the form of round balls. Al-Karak produces jamemid high enough quality ^[8] .

Further preparation

Prepare the sauce from jamid, lamb pieces are cooked in it. Mansaf is served on a large platter with a tortilla , rice and meat are placed on this tortilla. The dish is decorated with almonds and pine nuts , and then poured on top of the jami sauce ^[9] .

Mansaf is associated with traditional Jordanian culture, with nomads. At the time of nomads, meat and jamid were extremely accessible. Now mansaf is served on special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and graduations. It is served in honor of the arrival of the guest, as well as during religious holidays ( Eid ul-Fitr , Eid ul-Adha , Christmas , Easter ). Also often served on Jordan’s Independence Day. Traditionally, mansaf is eaten from a large, rustic-style dish: people stand around the dish, hold their left hand behind their backs, use the right hand instead of dishes ^[10] .

Since Mansaf was a Bedouin meal, many traditions are associated with it, some of them still exist today. From here comes the tradition of having a mansaf only with the right hand. She collects rice balls, then the ball is placed in the mouth with three fingers. According to tradition, even if the rice ball is hot, you cannot blow on it. Many of these traditions still exist. However, despite this, mansaf is sometimes still served on plates and eaten with spoons ^[11] .

Jordan's national dish

Mansaf is often called the “national dish” of Jordan.

However, Professor Joseph Massad believes that mansaf is not a “traditional” dish, but a newer dish that was developed in the era of the British Mandate in Palestine (at the beginning of the 20th century). After independence, according to this version, the dish became “national”. In the book of Masada it is noted that the current recipe differs from the early recipes of mansaf, and the state only portrays it as a dish that is a national tradition ^[12] . According to this version, Mansaf is a dish from Palestine and Syria ^{[13] [14]} .

The inhabitants of Salta and Al-Karak are famous for preparing mansaf ^[15] . However, there are some unusual dish options. So, near the port city of Aqaba, you can try the fish mansaf. The urban, less ceremonial version of mansaf with fresh yogurt instead of jamid is called “shakriye” ( Arabic الشاكريّة ). Sometimes cooked with poultry instead of lamb, distributed in the northern part of Jordan ^[16] .

• Jordanian cuisine
• Kurt

• Encyclopedia of Jordan Heritage / Vol. 1-5: Rocks Bin Zayed Al Uzaizi.
• Cultural history of Jordan in the Mamluk period 1250-1517 . Prof. Youssef Havmeh. 1979, Workers' Cooperative Press Society. Amman, Jordan. 1982, Yarmuk University. Irbid, Jordan. 1986, Ministry of Culture and Youth. Amman, Jordan. 1992, University of Jordan. Amman, Jordan.
• Howell, Sally 2003. “Modernization of Mansaf: the context of consumption of the national dish of Jordan”, Food and Foodways , 11: 215–243