"Zarb is the Bedouin desert feast cooked underground: meat and vegetables are buried in a coal-lined sand pit and left for hours until they emerge smoky and falling off the bone."
About Zarb
Zarb is one of Jordan's most beloved dishes, representing the rich culinary tradition of the region.
Zarb, a staple of Jordan's cuisine
The Bedouin Underground Oven
Zarb is the Bedouin barbecue of the Jordanian desert, cooked in an underground oven. Marinated lamb or chicken and vegetables are stacked on a metal frame, lowered into a sand pit lined with hot coals, sealed under a lid and buried. Over several hours the trapped heat and smoke cook the meat until it falls off the bone.
The Method
The pit is the whole technique. Coals heat the sand-lined hole, the food is lowered in on its rack, and the pit is covered and buried so no heat escapes, turning the desert ground into a slow oven. The result is meat that is both tender and smoky, flavoured in a way no conventional oven reproduces. Patience and a well-built pit are everything.
A Desert Ritual
The unearthing of the zarb is a ceremony in itself, the cover brushed back and lifted to reveal tender meat and rice beneath. It is the classic feast of the desert camps, and watching the cook dig it from the ground is part of the experience. The reveal is as anticipated as the eating.
Under the Stars at Wadi Rum
Zarb is most associated with the Bedouin camps of Wadi Rum, where it is eaten outdoors under a vast desert sky. Served with rice and followed by sweet Bedouin tea around the fire, it is a meal and a ritual at once. It is the signature expression of desert hospitality.
What to Expect
At a Wadi Rum desert camp, the highlight is watching the cook brush back the sand and lift the zarb from the pit, the lamb and chicken smoky and tender after hours underground. Eaten with rice under a vast desert sky, it is a meal and a ritual at once.
Why Try It
It is the signature feast of Bedouin hospitality and the desert camps of Wadi Rum, with a smoky flavour only the buried oven can give.
Insider Tips
Eat it at a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum, where the underground cooking is part of the show.
Be there when the pit is opened; the unearthing is the experience.
Pair it with the sweet Bedouin tea served around the camp fire.
