Last night some friends took us to a Masqouf (Maskoof) سمك مسكوف restaurant in downtown Amman, Jordan. Masqouf is simply an ancient way of grilling fish on wood fires and was the method used by the Sumerians more than 4000 years ago. You can even choose your fish from the tank!

Dinner was served alongside plates of red rice, biryani, aubergine and potato stew, flat breads, barbecue chicken, lemon and onion wedges, pickled vegetables, and olives.

For dessert we ventured further downtown and were delighted to find freshly prepared knafeh—layers of sweet cheese topped crispy shredded filo dough, pistachios, cashews, and honey syrup.

What a night!