A Bible Times Food Primer

A Healthy Cuisine

The cuisine of the Bible was a healthy one. All the bread and grain dishes were whole grain. Beans and raw vegetables were eaten frequently, as were yogurt and simple cheeses. Poultry and fish were more common than meat, which was usually reserved for special occasions or special guests. Besides, when a lamb or a calf or a goat was sacrificed for a meal, the herd was diminished. Since there was little means of preservation, foods needed to be eaten at once. No one wanted any foods to go to waste. Fruits and nuts were the main ingredients in the sauces and desserts. Refined sugar didn't exist, and sweeteners were usually made from dates, grapes, and the old standby, honey.

A Wide Variety of Foods

Because Palestine was a "land bridge" between powerful armies, the culture suffered radical changes from time to time as armies marched through the land. The people of God were influenced by the Egyptians to the west, Persia to the east, Turkey and Greece to the north, and Africa to the south.

The earliest people were nomadic. They didn't stay in one place long enough to cultivate crops year after year after year. They hunted animals that were nearby and learned to recognize and use wild herbs and other seasonings. Because there were no grocery stores, no restaurants, and no means of preservation, most of the foods that were consumed were eaten fresh (with the exception of dried fruits, olives pickled in a strong brine, and parched grains).

Significance of Eating

Eating and drinking together among the people of Bible lands signified a bond of friendship, even if they had never met before the meal. To share food was to forget all past grievances. This made the act of eating almost a sacred affair. In keeping with this tradition, the Hebrew people were also forbidden to eat with the Gentiles. To do so would cause uncleanness. In fact, one of God's people could not even touch a Gentile or anything that had been handled by a Gentile.

Bread of Life

Jesus frequently referred to himself as the "bread of life" (John 6:48). In Bible times, bread was a staple food. The term "breaking bread" came to mean sharing a meal with others. Think about the number of times Jesus "broke bread" with his friends and even with the outcasts of society. At one gathering Jesus even provided bread for a crowd of five thousand men (and a few more women and children) who had come to hear him preach. When he did these things, surely the crowd remembered the story of God providing bread for the Hebrew people in the wilderness. The promised Messiah would provide bread again.

Bread was made from a variety of grains, depending upon the availability. Wheat was a primary grain crop, but it was difficult to grow and was cultivated mostly in the coastal plains and near the Jordan Valley, where water was plentiful.

Barley wasn't as fussy as oats or wheat. It was hardier and could be grown most anywhere. Its durability in the heat made it a dependable crop. Bread made from barley was coarse and dark in color. Barley was the food of the poor.

Eat Your Vegetables

Vegetables were not regarded by the children of Bible times as they are today. Sometimes, vegetables were the only food available. Dried beans were used during the winter for savory vegetable stews and were a staple of the Bible-times diet. You would probably recognize some of the beans they used: fava beans, garbanzo beans, and a bean similar to a lima bean.

Beans were allowed to dry on the plant and were often crushed and added to grain to make a coarse bread. This might not have been particularly appetizing, but it was great fiber. Obviously, beans were a staple in the diet of the poor.

Another vegetable that showed up on the Bible-times table was the cucumber. There were two main varieties. One was long, dark, and slender. The other was smaller, whitish, and smooth-skinned. The Hebrews used to build towers in their gardens so that the cucumber would have ample room to grow.

Garlic and onions were also a part of the diet in Palestine. They grew well in the hot climate and provided a tasty flavor to the vegetable stews and meat dishes. Garlic and onions were a basic in their diet while they lived in Egypt. In the story of the Exodus, these were two vegetables the Hebrew people particularly missed while in the wilderness.

Grapes and Figs and Dates, Oh My!

Fruits were a welcome seasonal addition to the normal diet of the people of Bible times. There were grapes, figs, dates, pomegranates, olives, and a variety of citrus fruits (mostly in New Testament times). The fruits people couldn't eat while they were in season were dried and stored for use later in the year.

Grapes, raisins, and wine are mentioned frequently in the Bible. The climate in Palestine was perfect for growing grapes. But not everyone had a vineyard. Many people were too poor to be able to purchase fresh grapes from the market. But the poor were always considered. The grape pickers were allowed to go through the vineyard only one time. Any grapes that were left belonged to the poor who came behind them. No one in the community was left out.

The fig tree was a welcome addition to the garden or courtyard in Bible times. Every homeowner dreamed of having a fig tree, not only for the wonderful fruit but also for the shade the large fig tree leaves provided in the heat of the summer. Figs were picked as soon as they were ripe, because they were highly perishable. Any fig that was not eaten within a few days was immediately dried. Cities kept stores of dried figs available, just in case an enemy lay siege to their city.

One of the recipes included in this book substitutes dates for figs. Figs in the United States tend to be expensive, but dates are more readily available. Even though dates are not mentioned in the Bible, they were certainly eaten, both fresh and dried. Dates could even be boiled down to produce a sticky sweetener similar to honey.

Also available were pomegranates and a variety of citrus fruits. Citrus such as lemons, limes, and oranges were a luxury and were not cultivated until later times. But the citron was common, even during Old Testament times. The citron, however, was almost more work that it was worth, as the peel could be very thick and the juice sparse.

Olives were the most important crop in all of Palestine. They grew on trees and could be eaten fresh during the harvest in the fall. Some were pickled in a strong salt brine. But...