With many meals, you'll find side dishes that range from deep-fried meat or vegetable starters, salads, as well as soups. Some common starters are sambousek, which is a thin triangular pastry dough that can be filled with cheese, potato or beef, and kibbeh, which is a blend of ground bulgur wheat, onions, seasoned meat as well as a mixture of spices and herbs that is shaped into a mini football-shaped ball and deep fried. Common salads you might find at a Jordanian dinner table include a a crunchy fattoush with pita chips and a pomegranate molasses dressing, an herb-forward tabbouleh, or a vibrant yogurt-based cucumber mix with mint, garlic and lemon juice. Last but not least, you might come across a variety of hearty shorbat or soups, such as molokhiyeh, which is made with jute plant and has a silky texture when made into a stew, and others that are made from lentils as well as mixed vegetables.
Sweets
Can't forget dessert! If you're looking to have a warm, sweet drink on a cold night after your meal, definitely go for sahlab. It's made with milk, sugar and a thickening agent like cornstarch. It can be topped with crushed pistachios, cinnamon and shredded coconut. Another common treat across the Levant is knafeh, which is a thin pie-like dessert composed of either golden shredded phyllo or crumbled semolina dough that has a layer of soft cheese underneath and is dressed with a simple syrup containing orange blossom or rose water. It is...incredible.
