Lunch in the Eastern Desert of Jordan
[This blog post is from 2011.]
A small, white, concrete house with a simple, white, concrete wall around it looks unremarkable in Azraq, a little town known for its wetland in the eastern desert of Jordan. And it is. It’s the family home of Tahseen, his wife, and their three children.
Six kids play with a soccer ball on the otherwise deserted street outside, staring at us curiously as we walk into the front yard. We’re greeted by Tahseen, a man in his late 50s, who gestures kindly for us to come inside.
Kids playing in Azraq, Jordan. Photo by Lori Henry.
While the exterior of the house is entirely white, the first room inside is infused with melodic smells and a rainbow of colours on the floor: this is our home-cooked lunch, sprawled over a blanket, the smell of it going straight to our bellies.
A group of 10 of us have been invited into the house of this Druze family who live here in Azraq. The Druze are a social and religious group who mostly come from Syria, Lebanon and Israel – their population in Jordan is about 20,000. Although they speak Arabic and their social patterns are similar to those where they live, according to Tahseen, they don’t allow polygamy, their arranged marriages are more “consultations” and can be refused by either individual or family, and they don’t marry outside of the Druze tribe.
We all sit down on the floor cushions around the feast, eyeing it eagerly. There’s at least double the amount of food than what we can eat, typical of Jordanian hospitality. One by one the dishes are uncovered and we fill our plates with heaping portions, conversation coming to an abrupt halt as we dig in.
Lunch served by a Druze family in Azraq, Jordan. Photo by Lori Henry.
The main dish is kabseh, a mass of long grain rice with saffron and spices, with lemon and green pepper slices, parsley garnish, and hunks of chicken. A colourful salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and a scattering of corn kernels is balanced with the veggie pasta (not a traditional Jordanian dish) but an option for vegetarian visitors. There is also a warm noodle soup and kebba balls (that look similar to falafels) but made of bulgur stuffed with meat and onions.
After lunch I ask if we can meet Tahseen’s wife, who is the mastermind behind this feast. She comes out of the kitchen shyly and, since I don’t speak Arabic and she doesn’t speak English, I can only put my right hand to my heart and smile. She does the same.
Jordan book recommendations: Lonely Planet Jordan, The Rough Guide to Jordan, Insight Guides Jordan, and The Druze and their Faith in Tawhid (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East).*
* The above links are to Amazon and are for your reference. I receive a small referral fee if you buy from Amazon. But I encourage you to buy books from any retailer, ideally your local bookstore!
