Jordan Food Festival and Photo Exhibition

Last week a very interesting invitation landed in my inbox and suddenly a boring day at work gave way to daydreams about a distant country in the Middle East. A couple of days back, my timeline was flooded with pictures from Jordan and it sure seemed like a dream destination. A few of my blogger buddies were visiting Jordan and I was falling more and more in love with the place with each update. So, when  Jordan Tourism Board invited me to the launch of a month long food festival and photo-exhibition, I took it as a chance to get to know more about Jordan.

The chief guest for the evening was the Jordanian Ambassador to India, His Excellency Hassan Mahmoud Mohammad Al Jawarneh and the guest of honour for the evening was the former Indian Ambassador to Jordan Mr. Anil Trigunayat. Both the gentlemen were visibly in love with Jordan. Mr Trigunayat shared experiences from his stay in the country and how the people are warm and the hospitality is amazing.

Even though I was very enthusiastic about the whole thing, I wasn’t really sure if Jordanian cuisine would be able to cater to vegetarians like me. But, I was in for a pleasant surprise. Though a staple Jordanian meal comprises of lamb, rice and yogurt, vegetables are included mostly in the form of pickles or dips. But then if the pickles are so heavenly, who needs a main course dish? Jordan is one of the largest producer of olives in the world, so it’s no surprise that olive-oil finds it way in Jordanian cuisine.Vegetarian flavors include herbs, garlic, tomato and lemon. Internationally known foods which are common and popular everyday snacks in Jordan include hummus, which is a puree of chick peas blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic and Falafel a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas. A typical mezze includes foods such as koubba maqliya, labaneh, tabbouleh, olives and pickles. I told you, plenty of options for vegetarians. A variety of flavours from Jordan were served, and I enjoyed trying this cuisine which was different yet similar to our own in some ways.

The photo exhibition transported me to another world where I secretly added Jordan to my already very long bucket list. And then I came to know that there is a weekly lucky draw where winners will receive complimentary tickets to Jordan from Air Arabia when they dine at Zerzura. Also, each bill generated at the Food Festival promotion can be used as voucher to avail of a 10% discount against a Jordan holiday package with SOTC. I’ve already planned another dinner at Zerzura to try my luck. 😉

Thinking about Jordan, I could not stop myself from doing a little wanderlust inspired research and what came up is reason enough to pack my bags and leave. Here are my picks from wishful thinking about why I want to visit Jordan.

Petra, a historical city that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the colour of the stone out of which it is carved. Estimated to be as old as 312 BC, The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra is one of Jordan’s most visited tourist destinations. Who knows Apple might have got inspiration of the Rose Gold phone right here?

Wadi Mujib is Jordan’s Grand Canyon. The terrain here is rugged with a dash of irony. Wadi Mujib hosts both arid mountains as well as flowing rivers. Yet another one being that the sandstone mountains span from 900 m above sea level to 400 m below it.

Jerash is the site of ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. Ancient Greek inscriptions from the city as well as literary sources support that the city was founded by Alexander the Great or his general Perdiccas, who settled aged Macedonian soldiers there. It’s a very well preserved part of history, one which is full with ancient temples, cobbled streets and marketplaces.

The King’s Highway is one of the Middle East’s most scenic roads. History is evidence that this road was an important one in terms of trade as well as war. Serving as a connection between North and South, this ancient road is one which is definitely on my bucket list.

Ancient Amman‘s Roman columns are a beautiful sight with a distinctive feel to them. Historical importance of the place cannot be underestimated, given the beautiful ruins which are an integral part of ancient Amman.

Red Sea is technically an inlet of the Indian Ocean lying between Africa and Asia. The name of the sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-coloured Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water’s surface.A theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name red is referring to the direction south, just as the Black Sea’s name may refer to north. The basis of this theory is that some Asiatic languages used color words to refer to the cardinal directions.

Madaba is an ancient city known for its mosiac art-work. A school dedicated to the art, The Institute of Mosaic Art and Restoration was created here in 1992 as the Madaba Mosaic School, and funded by the Italian Government. It was a high school which offered the Tawjihi, the Jordanian equivalent of a high school diploma. Jordanian people sure know how to preserve their art and culture and that’s exactly why Madaba is on my list.

 

Wadi Rum, Also known as the Valley of Moon is a valley of sandstone and granite mountains. The place has such a beautiful name that I am sure it’s one of the prettiest places ever. No wonder it has featured in many a Hollywood as well as Bollywood movies.

 

Dead Sea is a salk lake with salinity 9.6 times that of the ocean and one of the world’s saltiest water bodies. The salts make it a hostile environment for the plants and animals to survive, and hence a very apt name, Dead Sea. It was one of the world’s first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of minerals and salts to create cosmetics, spa treatments and what not. The density of water is such that swimming transforms to floating in the Dead Sea.

Jordan Tourism’s hashtag #MusafirDilJordan actually lives up to the hype. With such a huge variety of things to offer, isn’t Jordan every traveler’s dream? Add to that their amazing hospitality, delicious food, beautiful landscapes and a lot of belly-dancing! Head to Zezura at Qutab to get a firsthand experience of Jordanian food and culture.Who knows you might win a return trip to this dream destination!!