Mansaf restaurant in Jordan offers beds for a post-meal nap

The dish is made with rich ingredients such as jameed sauce, shrak bread, rice, meat, pine nuts and almonds

A restaurant in Amman is offering its customers a space to enjoy a siesta after they eat mansaf, the Levantine dish considered the national dish of Jordan and a favourite of Queen Rania and her family.

Muab restaurant's “eat and lay down” philosophy means beds are made available for customers to take a nap after they eat the “heavy meal”.

Omar Mbaideen, the restaurant's co-owner, said the idea started as a joke, but is welcomed by customers because mansaf is full of rich ingredients that can induce sleep.

Abdullah, a visitor of the restaurant, said having a rest after eating mansaf is a must, especially for those – like him – who have to drive a long distance afterwards.

What is mansaf?

Mansaf is a dish made of sheep or goat meat cooked in fermented yoghurt sauce and served with rice.

In Jordan, it is more than just a meal – it is an ­important part of the country's national identify, a tangible link to its heritage and an ­essential presence at significant events or times of year, both celebratory and sorrowful.

Intended for sharing and communal eating, the dish is served on large trays or ­platters layered with paper-thin shrak bread followed by rice, meat and a tangy sauce. A sprinkling of roasted pine nuts and almonds provides a final flourish.

The intensely flavoured yoghurt-based sauce known as jameed, meaning hardened or dried, ­historically sets mansaf apart from other dishes.

Mansaf was listed on Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2022.

“Mansaf is a festive dish that is central to Jordan’s sociocultural events. An important and well-known symbol that evokes a deep sense of identity and social cohesion, it is associated with the agro-pastoral lifestyle in which meat and dairy are readily available,” Unesco said.

Agencies contributed to this report