Jan 19

Jan 19 "Shopping for Spices, Sweets, and Nuts in Amman" by Xenia Makosky

Salam ya Jamiyan. Today I wanted to take you with me to one of my favorite stores in my neighborhood, Jubran, and talk about shopping for spices in Jordan. The cooking and kitchen stores that I have been to in the US that offer spices, herbs, chocolates, and nuts do not come close to any of the markets I have visited in Jordan. The spices that are available in the Middle East are fresher than anything available in the US, cheaper, and overall, there is just more variety. There are a lot of stores and markets that sell spices, but Jubran is one of my favorite places for spices, sweets, and nuts. I discovered Jubran when my host mom convinced me to stop studying and go on a walk with her (always say “yes” to any outings with your host family!)

There are a lot of stores in Amman that sell the same goods that Jubran offers, but I love Jubran because it is a three-minute walk from my house and the employees know my family, so they are incredibly helpful and give us free sweets. Below are some photos, advice, and observations from shopping with my host mom.

Rounded wall as storefront, with blue overhang and sign in Arabic and English for Jubran. Gold geometric designs are near the entrance along with glass walls, lighted lamp posts, a car parked, and a man in a yellow jumpsuit sweeping the sidewalk — We have arrived!

Jubran stores all look similar on the outside. In my Islamic Art class, we talk a lot about gathering visual research during the week, and I had to take a picture of the store just to capture the beautiful gold pattern on the outside. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

Double glass doors are open to the store Jubran, with the name placard lit above the door. To the right, a metal table with roasting nuts — Nuts roasting on the street

Jubran also usually puts warm nuts out on the street for sale. Most Americans think of roasted chestnuts for Christmas, but here in the Arab world, nuts are extremely popular any time of the day, all year round. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

Glass square bins across a table top, filled with various spices. Maroon and white labels with spice names and price per kilo are clipped to each bin — Spice bins

The Jubran store that I go to actually has two levels. The first level is mostly for spices and nuts, and the second level has sweets. If you want any spices, you talk to the man behind the counter and he brings a bag and scoops your desired amount into the bag. When I visited with my host mom, I asked her about almost every spice in the store, and she explained all of them and how each one would be used. It was interesting to see spices just called “spice for chicken,” without an official name or description, but a lot of spices used for cooking here are mixes. I was even surprised to learn there are multiple types of *zatar* (thyme). *Zatar* is one of the most famous Arab spices, and it has a variety of colors and flavors. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

Striped cylinder of spices, alternating brown, reddish-brown, yellow, and white spices. It sits in the center of a circular metal tray, with a large bread knife next to it, and loose spices in the tray — Spice tower

This is one of my favorite spices purely because of the display. Look at the dried spices on top! When a customer wants some, an employee cuts the tower, and the spices all fall down and mix together. The name roughly translates to “Super Mixed Spices,” and as you can see it is incredibly popular because there is not much left! Usually, this type of spice tower has seven types of spices. This is a good example of a popular spice mix that can be used for just about any dish to give flavor. I am not sure what every single spice is in the mix. I tried to ask my family about every single one, but they had a hard time trying to give English translations of the spices. Sometimes spices in the Arab world do not have exact English translations, and Arabs usually use spice mixes, instead of just adding one clearly labeled spice from a supermarket like Americans. This all makes the process of identifying similar spices available in the US complicated. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

Looking down the center of a snack display, with angled glass/plastic bins lining each side and large round bins in the center. Nuts are down the left and chips and brightly colored nuts on the right — Snacks!

Right behind the spices is the nuts section! I think almost every type of nut in the world is available in most markets. It is honestly overwhelming to just pick a few types to buy. One of the things that surprised me most about shopping for spices, nuts, and sweets is that you can just pick up anything and try it. In the US, we would consider it to be stealing if you just started eating out of an open container, but in the Middle East, it is normal for people to sample the entire store. Nuts are a popular snack in the Arab world. Usually, they are left on the counter or packed as a snack for the day. The nuts shown here would not be used for cooking. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

Three shelves of light colored faux wood, lined with glass bottles with gold caps. The bottles are labeled and have clear or colored liquids in them — Cooking extracts, vinegars & oils

If you thought there were just nuts, spices, and sweets at Jubran, you would be wrong. The store also sells different types of vinegar and cooking extracts too, such as rose water and pomegranate vinegar. I had never seen or heard of many of these extracts before coming to Jordan. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

A birds-eye view of the first floor of the store, from the second floor staircase. In the middle is the checkout counter with computer screens, staff and patrons. Along the left are bins of spices and display shelves — Climbing the stairs to get some sweets

My personal favorite part of Jubran is the second floor, which is where all the candy and chocolate are located. *Yalla*, let’s climb the stairs! Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

A person's left hand holds a chocolate candy wrapped in silver and gold foil in the foreground, with bins of brightly colored candy and wrappers in the background — My favorite chocolate

The second floor of Jubran is like the spices and nuts section, just with candy. Feel free to try anything, and then when you are ready, ask for a bag and tell the employee what you want. One of my favorite treats is the chocolate in the gold wrapper. They are similar to Ferrero Rocher chocolates but are even better because they are homemade and fresh. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

A woman in a red top and jeans is in the background, looking over the candy selection. There is a large, narrow rectangular table down the angled center of the photo with square, clear plastic bins filled with colored candy wrappers — Sampling & selecting

Here is another shot of the candy selection in Jubran. The price per kilo of each type of candy will vary. Usually, there is a sign posted somewhere that states the price, but if there is not a sign, point to the candy you want and ask an employee how much
(بكم لكيلو واحد). My host mother said she has tried every candy in the store and was helping me pick this week’s treats. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

Looking into a glass display case at the candy called Turkish Delight. Gold and maroon gift boxes are on the right and a large square bin of loose pieces on the left — **Don’t forget Turkish Delight!** Turkish delight (راحة or حلقوم) is another popular sweet in Jordan, and if you have never had it, you need to try it. I personally think it is okay, but it is not my favorite sweet, and I am certainly not obsessed with it like Edmund is in *The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe.* Next to the Turkish delight are candy gift boxes. If you ever give someone a gift while abroad, you can never go wrong with some sweets from Jubran. Photo credit: Makosky, 2022

Xenia Makosky is a student from Dickinson College participating on Amideast’s Area and Arabic Language Studies program in Amman, Jordan in Fall 2022.