You’ve probably tried pita bread خُبْز before but having fresh طازَج baked pita bread from your local bakery مَخبَز مَحلي is something else. Living in Jordan, I had gotten used to walking to the bakery and getting fresh bread, pastries, and sweets at any time. Now, living in the US, buying bread from a regular supermarket just doesn’t feel right. I miss having close by bakeries. If you visit any Arab country, you must go to a local bakery and try the bread. In this post, we’ll learn the names of baked goodies you’ll find at an Arabic bakery, how to ask for a kilo of bread, and watch a video about a local Jordanian bakery that still makes bread the old traditional way without using modern machinery.

Here are some vocabulary words you’ll need when in an Arabic bakery:  🌾

طازَج: fresh                  Is this bread fresh?       هَل هذا الخُبْز طازَج؟

قَمِح: whole wheat      Do you have whole wheat bread?      هَل عندكُم خُبْز قَمِح؟

ساخِن: hot                    Eat the bread while it’s hot.    .كُل الخُبز وهوَ ساخِن

.كيلو خُبْز مِن فَضلَك         A kilo of bread please.

حَلَويات: sweets           This bakery has a variety of sweets.  .هذا المَخبَز فيه تَشْكيلَة مِن الحَلَويات

Image via Pixabay

Names of sweets and pastries you’ll find at the bakery:  🌾

خُبْز طابون‎: Taboon bread

A Levantine flatbread traditionally baked in a taboon oven.

كَعِك الشَّاي: tea biscuits

These are made in many shapes and sizes with sesame seeds on top.

مُعَجَنات: pastries

These pastries are stuffed with cheese, meat, and spinach.

مَناقيش: manakish

A popular Levantine food consisting of dough topped with thyme, cheese, egg, or ground meat.

هَريسة:  harissa

A traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake made from a semolina batter and sweetened with rose water and syrup.

بَرازِق: sesame seed cookies 🍪

Which one would you like to try تُجَرِّب? 🙂

Watch this video showing a traditional bakery where taboon bread and manaqeesh are made without using machinery. Locals tell the reporter that they prefer traditionally made bread since it’s tastier and preserves their heritage.

يوم جديد – تقرير عن المخابز الشعبية

Are there any local bakeries مخابز شعبية where you live?  🤗