"Maqluba means 'upside-down': the whole pot of layered rice, meat and fried vegetables is flipped onto a platter at the table, ideally holding its shape like a savoury cake."
About Maqluba
Maqluba is one of Jordan's most beloved dishes, representing the rich culinary tradition of the region.
Maqluba, a staple of Jordan's cuisine
The Upside-Down Dish
Maqluba means upside-down, and the name describes the drama of serving it. Layers of rice, meat, usually chicken or lamb, and fried vegetables such as aubergine, cauliflower and potato are cooked together in one pot, then the whole pot is flipped onto a platter at the table. Ideally it holds its shape like a savoury cake.
The Layers
The building of the pot is deliberate. Browned meat goes at the bottom, which becomes the top after the flip, followed by fried vegetables and spiced rice, all seasoned with cinnamon, allspice and other warm spices. As it cooks, the flavours settle down through the layers. The frying of the vegetables first is what gives the dish its depth.
A Family Spectacle
The flip is the moment everyone waits for, and a clean release, the tower standing intact, is a point of real pride for the cook. It is home-cooked feast food, made across Jordan and the wider Levant for family gatherings. The theatre of the turn is part of why it is so loved.
At the Table
Maqluba is served with plain yogurt and a simple salad to balance the rich, spiced rice, and often topped with toasted nuts. Eaten in a home or a traditional restaurant where the flip is done at the table, it is as much spectacle as meal. It is one of the Levant's great one-pot dishes.
What to Expect
The drama of maqluba lies in the flip, as the pot is turned upside down to expose a steaming tower of spiced rice, meat and vegetables. Accompanied by yogurt and a simple salad, the dish presents a warm, aromatic family feast often shared in a Jordanian home.
Why Try It
It is one of the Levant's great home-cooked dishes, and the dramatic table-side flip makes it as much a spectacle as a meal.
Insider Tips
Where possible, eat it in a home or a traditional restaurant where the flip is done at the table.
It is usually served with plain yogurt and a fresh salad to balance the rich, spiced rice.
Aubergine is the classic vegetable layer; ask which version a kitchen makes.
