Circassians and Circassian Cuisine in Jordan

The Circassian society of Amman was established in the late 19th century and since then Circassians have continuously contributed to modern Jordan and the society.
Circassians originally inhabited the Caucasus region, but in the 19th century the Russian empire committed a genocide against them and expelled the majority of them from their homeland into lands of the Ottoman empire.

Circassian horsemanship in Transjordan, April 1921 - Source: library of congress

In this post I will try to highlight the main elements of the Circassian cuisine, yet please keep in mind that there are many other dishes and sorts of dessert that I will leave for you to discover (e.g. Jash Pit, Laqom, Zatej..)

Ships pasta:
This is the main dish in the Circassian cuisine, Ships is a thick dipping that consists of walnuts, roasted flour, chicken stock and garlic, while Pasta consists of burgul and rice, mashed and shaped into blocks. The dish is usually served with chicken.

Haleva:
Haleva is fried thin dough that comes either stuffed with potato or Circassian cheese and is best served with tea.

• Where from to order these sorts of food?

Samawer, a gourmet kitchen and a small a restaurant that offers a variety of Circassian cuisine dishes (open from 9 till 7). Address: Close to the 7th circle and the driving training centre of the royal automobile club, Yazeed Al-Asadi street, google maps link and facebook page (Telephone: 06-5814818)

Alternatively, feel free to check this list of home-base businesses within the society, all of them prepare dishes of Circassian cuisine and some of them even offer delivery service.

Adygea kitchen 0776952025

Fadia kitchen 0779536257

Hanada kitchen 0777993201

Laila kitchen 0777295476

Mama Sireen kitchen 0796817677

Qofabz kitchen 0772121207

Tamara kitchen 0779756169

Circassian Cheese:

The cheese is made of cow milk, in Circassian it is called ‘Mata Qway’. Some friends say it tastes like feta cheese. It can be found at:

• Ra’ed supermarket (Telephone: 0785456006)

Address: Main street leading from 8th Circle to Wadi Sir (Husni Souber street), opposite to the post office, building of the Islamic bank

• Tamby supermarket (Telephone: 065833046)

Address: Main street leading from 8th Circle to Wadi Sir, then turn left (Husain Khawaja street)

Desserts:

Although not Circassian in specific, but rather associated with the Caucasus, Napoleon cake and walnut shaped cookies are popular across the society. Both are also available at Tamby supermarket.