Did you know that there are many bulgur-based dishes in Jordan? This ingredient, increasingly fashionable in Western cuisine, is very popular in the cuisines of the Middle East and North Africa. And therefore, it is present in many of the traditional recipes of Jordan. In this post we tell you what it is and what are some dishes where you can find it, as its tasting is a cultural experience.
What is bulgur
Bulgur is a cereal-type food, since it is made from wheat. Its appearance is of grains, slightly irregular, and therefore it is often used as a substitute for rice, as it provides some benefits with respect to rice. Its production process, from the beginning, is very long, as it requires cooking, filtering and several dryings. However, in supermarkets it is bought ready to be prepared in the kitchen, that is, for its last cooking, which is shorter: about 10-15 minutes.
Its texture and consistency is very similar to quinoa, while its flavor is more intense than that of rice or couscous. It is a food rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and proteins. And for the latter, vegetarians usually use it as a substitute for meat.
Its health benefits are numerous. Thanks to its rich fibre content, it helps to improve digestion, favouring the growth of the ‘good bacteria’ of the intestinal microbiome. Its caloric intake and the feeling of satiety it generates help you lose weight. And although it is rich in carbohydrates, according to some studies it helps to keep blood glucose at bay, so it would help prevent type 2 diabetes.
What dishes do bulgur have in Jordan?
The health benefits are reason enough to try bulgur dishes in Jordan. But since it is a very traditional ingredient, ordering any of the following proposals will be a cultural experience during your trip. These are some of the most important ones, which you will surely find easily on the menus of local restaurants :
- Tabbouleh: also spelled tabouleh, it is a salad shared with other surrounding countries, such as Lebanon or Syria. Its preparation is very simple, as it is a mixture of this cereal (in some cases they use couscous) together with very finely chopped vegetables, as well as small pieces of aromatic herbs. The list of ingredients to be used usually includes onion, tomato, cucumber, mint and parsley. And as a topping, a tasty mixture of olive oil and lemon
- Al-Rashoof: if the previous dish was a cool proposal for hot days, this one is somewhat different, as it is a soup, although it is usually served warm. In this case, the bulgur is added crushed to the chicken broth, which also has lentils, onion and jameed (dried goat yogurt), as well as sprinkled fried onions. It is a typical dish from the north of the country
- Kibbeh: Interestingly, it is a dish that the Middle East and Latin America have in common, in the latter case due to the emigration of Syrians and Lebanese. It is on this list of bulgur dishes in Jordan because it uses this ingredient for dough with minced meat and spices, which is given a striking ovoid shape with pointed ends and then fried
- Mujaddara: This humble dish has ancient origins, as it is mentioned in the Bible as Esau’s favorite. It is a scrambled eggs of bulgur (sometimes, rice) with cooked lentils, fried onion and olive oil. It can be eaten both hot and cold, depending on taste
