Jordanians get a taste of history in their daily bread
As soon as the staff plopped the loaves on the shelves, the line formed.
A woman nervously made a beeline to the shelves and snatched two bags as if they were about to run away. Another woman grabbed an armful.
“Do you still have that local wheat I keep hearing about?” an older man anxiously yelled across the counter. “I came across the city just to try it!”
Moments later, he walked out of the Qabalan Bakery with 8 pounds of doughy bounty.
In Amman, the hype is real.
After a decadeslong absence, in a land that fed empires and where archaeologists have discovered the oldest bread loaf in history, the original whole-wheat bread is back on the market.
It is a harvest of heritage years in the making.
Society’s prioritiesFrom exporter to importerOld knowledgeTaking the plungeKeeping up with demand
