What is zarb and how is it cooked?

Zarb is the traditional Bedouin cooking method of the Wadi Rum area. Meat — typically lamb and chicken — is placed on racks inside a large metal container called a zarb, along with vegetables, potatoes, and rice. The container is lowered into a pit dug in the sand, hot coals are placed above and below the food, and the pit is sealed and left for 3–4 hours. The result is slow-cooked, intensely flavoured meat that falls from the bone, with rice that has absorbed the cooking juices. It is the signature dish of Wadi Rum camp dining.

Do all Wadi Rum camps include meals?

Yes — virtually all camps, from budget tents to luxury domes, include dinner and breakfast in the accommodation rate. Dinner is typically zarb or a buffet of Jordanian dishes; breakfast is bread, labneh, hummus, eggs, and sweet Bedouin tea. Lunch is not typically included but can usually be arranged with the camp for an additional charge of approximately JOD 5–10 per person.

Are there any restaurants or cafes outside the camps in Wadi Rum?

There is a small visitor centre at Rum Village with a basic cafe selling tea, coffee, water, and simple snacks. Beyond this, no independent restaurants operate within the protected area — the only sit-down food experience is at your camp. Plan your meals around camp timing rather than looking for alternatives.

Can vegetarians and vegans eat well at Wadi Rum camps?

Most camps can accommodate vegetarian requests with advance notice. The buffet option (as opposed to zarb) typically has enough mezze dishes — hummus, salads, rice, bread, roasted vegetables — for a filling vegetarian meal. Vegan needs require clearer communication in advance as some dishes include dairy. Notify your camp when booking rather than on arrival.

Wadi Rum Food Guide | The Jordan Guide

Food in Wadi Rum is a simpler matter than in any other part of Jordan — there are almost no choices to make. The protected area contains no restaurants, no independent cafes, and no supermarkets. What you eat in the desert is what your camp provides, and what every camp provides is some variation of the same core Bedouin-style meal that has been served in this landscape for generations.

This simplicity is not a limitation once you understand what zarb actually is. If you eat it well made — slow-cooked underground for several hours, brought out in a smoking container and served at the communal table as the stars come out — it is one of the most memorable meals in Jordan.

Zarb: The Dish That Defines Wadi Rum Cooking

Zarb is the cooking method, not just the dish. A large metal rack is loaded with marinated lamb pieces, whole chicken portions, potatoes, onions, and rice. This rack is placed inside a sealed metal cylinder — the zarb — which is then lowered into a pit dug in the desert sand. Hot coals are placed in the pit, the sand is piled over the top, and the entire assembly cooks slowly for three to four hours with no additional heat source.

The result: meat with a texture that cannot be replicated by any other method. The lamb falls from the bone. The chicken skin is mahogany-coloured from the dry heat and the smoke of the coals. The rice underneath the meat has absorbed the cooking juices and is dense with flavour. The whole thing arrives at the table in a cloud of smoke that the camp staff dramatically reveal when they open the lid.

Most camps that serve zarb do so for dinner — the long cooking time makes it practical for the evening rather than lunch. Better camps start the zarb preparation in the afternoon while you are out on your jeep tour, so it is ready when you return at sunset.

What Camp Meals Actually Include

Dinner at most Wadi Rum camps means one of two formats:

The zarb dinner is the premium experience — a single shared main dish of zarb-cooked meat and rice, accompanied by salads, bread, and mezze. This is what the better and mid-range camps serve. The quality of the zarb is the primary differentiator between camps.

The buffet dinner is more common at larger and budget operations: a spread of grilled meats (chicken pieces, lamb kebabs), rice, flatbread, hummus, fattoush salad, cucumber and tomato salad, and sometimes a soup. It is adequate and filling; it lacks the drama and depth of zarb.

Breakfast follows a consistent pattern across all camp tiers: pita or flatbread baked on a griddle pan over an open fire, labneh (strained yoghurt), hummus, olive oil, za’atar, sliced tomatoes and cucumber, boiled or fried eggs on request, and sweet Bedouin tea made with sage and cardamom. The tea is served in small glasses throughout the morning. This is a genuinely good breakfast — simple, clean, and attuned to the desert climate.

Bedouin tea (shay) is offered throughout the day at most camps: black tea brewed strong with dried sage leaves, cardamom pods, and significant sugar. It is served hot in small glasses and is both warming in the cold desert mornings and somehow cooling in the midday heat. Refusing it is technically possible but culturally unusual — and the tea is good enough that you will not want to.

The Visitor Centre Cafe

At Rum Village, the main visitor centre at the entrance to the protected area has a small cafe selling water, soft drinks, instant coffee, tea, and basic packaged snacks. This is the only eating option if you are doing a day trip without a camp booking. The selection is limited and the prices are higher than you would pay outside the protected area — approximately JOD 1–3 for a drink as of 2026. Stock water and snacks before you enter if you are on a day-use basis.

Practical Notes for Camp Meals

Zarb timing. Ask your camp what time dinner is served and when the zarb goes into the ground. If you are scheduling your afternoon jeep tour, it is worth knowing whether to be back at camp by 18:00 or 19:00 for the meal reveal. Missing the zarb opening is a minor disappointment that is easy to avoid.

Eating with your hands. Traditional Bedouin dining involves eating directly from the communal zarb container or a shared serving dish, using flatbread as a scoop. This is not obligatory — plates and cutlery are always available — but eating with the group from a shared dish is the culturally coherent way to experience the meal.

Water. Camps provide drinking water, but hydration in Wadi Rum requires intention. The desert air at high altitude is drier than it feels, especially when you are active on jeep tours. Drink water consistently rather than waiting for thirst. Most camps provide unlimited water with meals; check whether water is available throughout the day during your jeep tour or whether you need to carry your own.

For everything else about Wadi Rum — where to go in the protected area, which jeep routes cover the key formations, and how to plan a night under the stars — see our Wadi Rum city guide. To book a Wadi Rum overnight camp with dinner included, browse Wadi Rum camp and tour packages.

More in Wadi Rum

← Back to the Wadi Rum guide

Food in Wadi Rum: What to Eat and Bedouin Cooking to Try

Top-rated experiences in the area