The Case for Sustainable Culinary Tourism in Jordan

From quest to conference

In May 2020, I connected with Sharifa Nofa Bint Nasser who lent me her copy of a special book titled Jordan The Land & The Table by the late Cecil Hourani in exchange of my book From Farm to Fork in the Netherlands. For save-keeping, because Hourani's publication had been out-of-print since 2006. Little did I know this connection would lead to speaking at The 3rd International Conference of Tourism and Heritage Conservation by the Hashemite University under the Patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal.

Quest

My fascination for Jordan's culinary narrative was triggered in the early spring of 2020. I heard of a rare book describing Jordan as a new country on old foundations with an astonishing cultural mix, wherein Hourani sought to understand the complexities of this land through its cookery. I was adamant to get my hands on that book, so I went on a quest calling dozens of people to help me find a copy in someone's private library.

It was Omar Hazineh who suggested that I call Ms. Nofa. From there on my journey began to learn about the ethnology of Jordan's culinary heritage. It was through Hourani's words that I began to understand that Jordan plays a grander, yet, forgotten role aptly describing that:

"The Jordanian kitchen reflects the pluralism and variety of Jordanian society, and an openness to the outside world which hopefully heralds the return of Jordan to a central role in the cultural evolution of the Near and Middle East."

Reading his book raised my appreciation for the culinary continuity of the Bilad Al Sham, and that Jordan - by virtue of the Hashemite monarchy who transposed traditional domestic hospitality into political hospitality - is the culinary mother goose of Eastern Mediterranean/Arabic Cuisine who nurtures her own eggs as well as her adopted eggs.

From Farm to Fork in Jordan

My version of Hourani's book, freshly photocopied like a schoolboy's edition over a 1000 days ago from Ms. Nofa's original, now looks worn & torn after reading it over and over again, passage by passage, accumulating hundreds of my hand-written scribbles, names to contact, notes, and faded yellow orange highlights. But to me, this green paperback sparked my inner love for Jordan’s eclectic culinary profile, becoming my roadmap for the hundreds of field visits and conversations about food and farming across the country. It serves as a beautiful reminder of my first steps on this intrepid journey the outer world came to know as From Farm to Fork in Jordan.

Conference in Amman

The connection to my befriended book-lender came to full circle when I was invited by Prof. Dr. Firas alawneh by recommendation of Sharifa Nofa Bint Nasser to speak about Culinary Tourism on 24 May 2023 during the Third International Conference of Tourism Management & Heritage Conservation under the Patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal whom I had the honor to meet in person.

Gastronomic Tourism was one of this year's conference topics. In keeping with full circles, I took the conference as a timely platform to share some of the most important findings since publishing my 1st From Farm to Fork book in 2012, which led to 18 From Farm to Fork Dinners and Conferences on 3 different continents, and various guest lectures and speakerships in 5 countries, and the learnings along the way. The presentation became the culmination of a passion project I started in 2012 to advocate Responsible Food & Beverage Strategies to ‘my’ industry, summarized in a 30-minute timeslot and incorporated into our current project. As such, I was more excited about this academic conference in Zarqa than any of the Michelin-starred dinners and Red Carpet Events most of my friends and peers have come to know me for.

The Presentation

Using the analogy of a four course menu, the 1st course includes 5 compelling arguments to adopt Sustainable Culinary Tourism into one's National Tourism Strategy, followed by the 2nd course describing the full scope of culinary tourism, the required core values and eco system, as well as a Gaps Analysis of factors that can hinder the successful implementation of any destination's Sustainable Culinary Tourism Strategy.

6 +1 Gaps

From the onset of our project in 2020, I based much of our strategy on the Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomy Tourism, a comprehensive report published in 2019 by the UN Tourism and the Basque Culinary Center . That 44-page report is a fantastic guideline, however, during the past three years I came across six gaps which I believe can hinder the strategy of any prospective culinary destination. Taking Jordan as a business case, my hope is that this beautiful destination will bridge those gaps. Of late, a seventh, more dominant gap surfaced: that of non-synergies by NGOs, Associations, and Development Banks, and the detrimental dynamics of donor-competition at the expense of the beneficiaries they vowed to serve. A topic I'll address separately in a next article.

Mother Goose

More important is the Main Course: the narrative we’d like to share with the World, and that the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has all the right ingredients to fulfil its' role as the culinary mother goose of the Levant and Arabic Cuisine.

It is here where visitors and travelers can truly Taste the Middle East and Celebrate its' seasonal harvests Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.

From a sociological perspective, Jordan is the only save haven in the wider region that has the DNA and the infrastructure to carry forward the culinary heritage of the Bilad al Sham, which, as I learned from Dr. Simon Poole when he was our guest in 2021, laid the earliest foundations of today's modern Mediterranean Diet. Therein also lies my deepest motivation and gratitude to work on From Farm to Fork in Jordan.

Dessert

For dessert I made two calls to action to the academic community:

From Farm to Fork in Jordan

From Farm to Fork in Jordan? by HIH promotes Culinary Tourism in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with a central role for Sustainable Gastronomy at the intersection of Agriculture, Culinary Arts, Heritage, Destination Management, and Responsible Tourism. The project is aligned with the UNWTO guidelines for Gastronomy Tourism, Slow Food, and the Economic Modernization Vision related to Green Growth and Destination Jordan. Our mission is to position Jordan as a meaningful food destination that tells the story of Bilad Al Sham (Levant) based on four core values: Health Cuisine, Environment, Responsible Innovation, and Socio-Economic Impact. Our goal is to meet the ethical culinary expectations of conscientious tourists and business travelers, while encouraging a healthy food culture for local residents.

About HIH

Hospitality in Health (HIH) is a Dutch boutique agency specialized in Sustainable Gastronomy and Responsible Food & Beverage Strategies, and supported by a curated network of international Michelin chefs, chefs ranked in The World's 50 Best Restaurants, Academic experts, and Culinary platforms. HIH successfully delivered tailored hospitality solutions to a diverse client-mix of luxury hotels, boutique F&B brands, educators, tourism boards, and tradeshow organizers in Europe, the Americas, and MENA.

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