The story of the Jordanian Mansaf meal

Mansaf dish ... The master of the Jordanian table and a symbol of authenticity

Mansaf dish sits on the throne of the Jordanian table undisputedly, as it is the owner of the ancient history that has accompanied the people of Jordan for thousands of years, and is still enjoyed by the stranger and near from inside and outside Jordan because of its distinct taste and privacy acquired throughout history because of the link between Jordanian women learning how to work from mothers and grandmothers, which makes this dish an additional place in the hearts of the women of Jordan, Palestine, southern Syria and Iraq who have preserved the traditions and ingredients of this distinctive dish through generations, this dish is still A companion of meetings and family events and amiable guests at holidays and weddings.

Mansaf dish ... The master of the Jordanian table and a symbol of authenticity

Mansaf dish sits on the throne of the Jordanian table undisputedly, as it is the owner of the ancient history that has accompanied the people of Jordan for thousands of years, and is still enjoyed by the stranger and near from inside and outside Jordan because of its distinct taste and privacy acquired throughout history because of the link between Jordanian women learning how to work from mothers and grandmothers, which makes this dish an additional place in the hearts of the women of Jordan, Palestine, southern Syria and Iraq who have preserved the traditions and ingredients of this distinctive dish through generations, this dish is still A companion of meetings and family events and amiable guests at holidays and weddings.

The origin of the Mansaf meal and the reason for naming

The Mansaf meal is one of the meals very old, and you may be surprised if you know that the Mansaf dates back to more than 3200 years, specifically in the period of a kingdom called "Moabite Kingdom", which was in a tug of war with their enemies from the Kingdom of "Judah", and history books tell that the king of the Moabites, "Mesha" reached his ears the intention of King "Omri" King of Judah to attack his kingdom, so he wanted to test the loyalty of his people to him in the event that the Jews attacked them, so King "Mesha" ordered the people to cook meat with milk In violation of the Jewish doctrine that prohibits cooking meat with milk as mentioned in the book of Exodus chapter 23 verse 19: "Do not cook seriously with his mother's milk", so the whole people responded and cooked meat with milk to confirm to their king that they are loyal to the kingdom, so the king blew up what came in the Torah and the meal was called Mansaf, and they fought the kingdom of Judah and defeated it and King "Mesha" lost his son at the gates of the historic castle of Moab. This victory was immortalized on a stone later called the Mesha Obelisk, and this obelisk is now in the Louvre.

Ingredients of Mansaf

Mansaf is distinguished from all other meals by using milk in cooking meat in a unique way, where milk must first be converted into curd "Jameed" before cooking meat in it, and Mansaf consists of meat cooked in curd and rice added to it ghee and bread "trap" thin consisting of wheat, then the dish is decorated with various nuts such as pine nuts and almonds, and some chopped parsley is added to it, which gives it a unique flavor and taste.

How to present Mansaf

It is known that the Mansaf dish is one of the collective dishes that are served in large circular plates, the purging of the dish begins by placing the shrak bread at the bottom of the dish and covering the bottom of the dish completely, then putting rice on the bread, then the meat broth is sprinkled with milk on the rice until it is saturated with it to strengthen the flavor of rice, then the meat pieces are placed over the rice saturated with broth and the head of the carcass is the last piece to be placed on the plate, then the dish is decorated with nuts and parsley leaves. A number of people gather around each dish and share food from this dish, and historical studies have proven that the origin of these ancient circular dishes dates back to more than 6000 years where the Neolithic era, and this indicates the knowledge of the people of Jordan for collective eating in agricultural societies, which led some to believe that the roots of the Mansaf meal date back to more than 6000 years, and that it is a guide to the civilization of Jordanian society since ancient times, as the ingredients of the Mansaf meal are not available to the inhabitants of the desert in a way Permanent because it contains milk and rice, which need agricultural communities, not desert.

Nutritional value of Mansaf

Mansaf contains many important nutrients that are together an integrated meal, meat is a rich source of protein, fiber and minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc, and it is preferable to use low-fat Capricorn meat, and Mansaf contains curd "Jameed" as a source of calcium, minerals and vitamins important to the body such as B1, B3, B6 and B12, which are important for building bones and the nervous system, while rice is a rich source of carbohydrates and other vitamins necessary to build body cells and strengthen immunity, and nuts added to Mansaf contains unsaturated fats that the body needs in many vital processes. 100 grams of mansaf contains 315 kilojoules of energy, 55 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of fat, so it is a healthy food that is quick to digest due to curd "jameed" that speeds up the digestion process.

Some etiquette of eating Mansaf meal

Mansaf is served in large circular dishes and guests gather around it, and the eating is in stages, so a group eats and then rises and eats in its place another group, and one group is called Al-Tur, and the head of the carcass is served in the dish of the master of the people or above them as a form of honoring the guest, and sometimes the whole carcass is placed in front of him to eat from any piece he desires, and it is customary for the group to put their left hands behind their backs and eat with their right hand, and eating with a spoon is not considered acceptable, and it is a shame for the host to It is also a shame for the guest to reveal the bottom of the dish because this is an indication of the guest's greed, and it is also a shame for the guest to end the dip in the dish, as he must use the bread in a certain way where he dipped the tip of the bread only and ate it. The people of Jordan used to use only 3 fingers to eat mansaf, so it is a shame to have food on the back or inside of the hand, taking into account the etiquette of food and the cleanliness of the majlis so that everyone has a delicious love and good family memories.