What would Jesus..Eat? Biblical Food Recipes

Cafe Society
1

As Mary and Joseph cruised around looking for a place to stay, what might the locals be eating at the time?

Each year I try to come up with a themed Christmas Dinner different than the usual Turkey/Ham/Tamales combo (wasn’t Thanksgiving like last week?) I might try a biblical theme this year.

I imagine it would involve lamb, fish, goat, figs, wine, and bread of some sort. Does anyone have any idea what people ate during Jesus’ time and possibly some simple recipes involving biblical foods? I live near a fairly large city in Texas.

2

I should think Lebanese food should fit the bill (well southern/eastern mediterranean and Middle Eastern food have similarities). A lot of this could be bought ready made from a middle eastern store.

Flat bread (pita would be fine) with hummus and baba ghannouj

Lamb and chicken kebabs.

Lots of olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro or parsley to flavour.

Foul medamas/medames. You can buy these canned – either plain or ready spiced. They’re cooked
fava beans, but I think cooked dried ones rather than fresh. My must have at a Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurant, and I always pick up a few cans if I’m passing a middle eastern store.

Fattoush/fattouch – salad with parsley and mint and toasted or fried pieces of bread

Fatayer – pastries stuffed with lamb or spinach and feta

Baklava - sweet pastries (honey, nuts etc)

There are lots of recipes on line. Some use parsely where I’m used to cilantro (e.g. foul medamas) and dried herbs where I’m used to fresh. The former is a matter of taste, the latter - use fresh if at all possible.

3

Just to add to the list of ingredients (I don’t have any authentic recipe suggestions):

Pears
Apricots
Dates
Onions
Garlic
Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, dill, fennel…
Almonds
Cinnamon

-All of these would certainly have been in common use in Biblical times/places

4

Make a Scripture Cake

5

[QUOTE=Sir Doris]
I should think Lebanese food should fit the bill (well southern/eastern mediterranean and Middle Eastern food have similarities). A lot of this could be bought ready made from a middle eastern store.

Flat bread (pita would be fine) with hummus and baba ghannouj

Lamb and chicken kebabs.

Lots of olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro or parsley to flavour.

Foul medamas/medames. You can buy these canned – either plain or ready spiced. They’re cooked
fava beans, but I think cooked dried ones rather than fresh. My must have at a Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurant, and I always pick up a few cans if I’m passing a middle eastern store.

Fattoush/fattouch – salad with parsley and mint and toasted or fried pieces of bread

Fatayer – pastries stuffed with lamb or spinach and feta

Baklava - sweet pastries (honey, nuts etc)

There are lots of recipes on line. Some use parsely where I’m used to cilantro (e.g. foul medamas) and dried herbs where I’m used to fresh. The former is a matter of taste, the latter - use fresh if at all possible.
[/QUOTE]

The authenticity of some of the vegetables, beans, herbs and nuts used in modern lebanese cooking might be suspect. Imagine Lebanese cuisine but a lot more basic. You might need to research the availability of certain veg and herbs in the first millennia.

6

Check out Leviticus 11:22. Enjoy your locust. :wink:

7

I figure fish or preserved (kashrut) fish might be more likely as an everyday protein for the average person than lamb. That was for special occasions.

8

Don’t forget the wine. :slight_smile:

9

[QUOTE=devilsknew]
I figure fish or preserved (kashrut) fish might be more likely as an everyday protein for the average person than lamb. That was for special occasions.
[/QUOTE]

Are you saying the birth of the Baby Jesus isn’t a good enough occasion for lamb? I mean they were in a stable as it was.

10

My roommate eats this bread, the recipe for which is based upon the words found in Ezekiel 4:9:

“Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it…”

I see this outfit also makes bread based on Genesis 1:29.

11

[QUOTE=Sir Doris]
Fatayer – pastries stuffed with lamb or spinach and feta

[/QUOTE]

I’m fairly sure that the cheesy poofs and the, er, lamby poofs shouldn’t be served together. Don’t forget that Baby Jesus’ parents were Jewish and kept the meat and dairy separate. The Christmas Ham would be right out.

12

Update:

I got my menu planned out. I didn’t even have to go to the “International” section of the supermarket. Keep in mind I am not an agricultural historian, I have only been to a Middle Eastern restaurant once or twice, and I have kids. Lets just say it is “Biblically inspired.”

The appetizer will be a tray of hummus, an olive medley, and goat cheese. It will be served with honey wheat and flax crackers as well as toasted pita bread.

Salad will be a plain o’ romaine salad with toasted garlic almond slivers. I couldn’t figure out what kind of leafy thing to get and my family gave a big thumbs down to feta.

Soup will be egg drop because my daughter said that she wouldn’t try anything else if I did not include something that she knows that she will like for sure. She said that if Mary and Joseph would have made it to China, they would have loved egg drop.

Main dish will be rosemary lamb loin chops with a wine reduction. It will be served with asparagus on the side. I couldn’t figure out what kind of veggie was eaten at that time that I could saute.

Dessert will be almonds baked with sugar and cinamon as well as grapes.

Drink will be wine and tea. I am not sure about the tea.

Thanks for the help!

13

[QUOTE=Sir Doris]
I should think Lebanese food should fit the bill (well southern/eastern mediterranean and Middle Eastern food have similarities). A lot of this could be bought ready made from a middle eastern store.

Flat bread (pita would be fine) with hummus and baba ghannouj

Lamb and chicken kebabs.

Lots of olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro or parsley to flavour.

Foul medamas/medames. You can buy these canned – either plain or ready spiced. They’re cooked
fava beans, but I think cooked dried ones rather than fresh. My must have at a Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurant, and I always pick up a few cans if I’m passing a middle eastern store.

Fattoush/fattouch – salad with parsley and mint and toasted or fried pieces of bread

Fatayer – pastries stuffed with lamb or spinach and feta

Baklava - sweet pastries (honey, nuts etc)

There are lots of recipes on line. Some use parsely where I’m used to cilantro (e.g. foul medamas) and dried herbs where I’m used to fresh. The former is a matter of taste, the latter - use fresh if at all possible.
[/QUOTE]

Um, speaking as a historical recreationist, and one of my special areas of interest is middle eastern foods … the earliest reference to a paste anything like hummus is white sals, and it is made with walnut paste, not ceci bean paste…

I know you run into the argument that peasants didnt write cookbooks, but just sayin if you want accuracy, grab the bible and read for food references. IIRC there are also webpages on biblical foods … both from whack jobs and archaeologists…

Id avoid the whack jobs that think that emulating absolutely everything written in the bible is the only lifestyle. Last page I surfed to which I just checked and it has been taken down was adamant that the ‘wine’ referred to was unfermented grape juice not real wine.

14

[QUOTE=aruvqan]
Um, speaking as a historical recreationist, and one of my special areas of interest is middle eastern foods … the earliest reference to a paste anything like hummus is white sals, and it is made with walnut paste, not ceci bean paste…

[/QUOTE]

No arguements from me about accuracy – Jesus could have order pizza for all I know. My assumption was that the OP would prefer something believable and tasty and could be put together without too much trouble over 100% authenticity (and I assume many foods which are no longer eaten fell from favour for a good reason!).

15

Ezekiel bread crumbs make a good stuffing and are also good in meatloaf.

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[QUOTE=Shoshana]
Ezekiel bread crumbs make a good stuffing and are also good in meatloaf.
[/QUOTE]

ooOoo i need to try that. They are great for breading chicken for impromptu shake n bake =)