Sally Howell

Modernizing Mansaf: The Consuming Contexts of Jordan's National Dish

Mansaf is the national feast dish of Jordan. As such, it is commonly associated with a traditional culture based on an agro-pastoral lifestyle in which meat and yogurt were readily available and hosts had ample time to attend to the needs of guests. This nostalgic ideal is not representative of contemporary Jordanian experience, yet mansaf remains—especially for those of Bedouin origin—the most appropriate measure of a hosts respect for “his” guests. The relationship between mansaf as a domestic product and mansaf as a national icon are examined here in historical and contemporary contexts. Utilizing diverse source materials, I analyze the reactions of Jordanian Bedouin to general efforts to commodify, rationalize, and nationalize the meaning, making, and political utility of mansaf. This process sheds light on current analytical engagements with modernity, public culture, tourism, and the performance of national identity.