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July 10, 2007 By: E.M.Whittington
The everyday meal of biblical times and a variety of menus for both Christian and Jewish religious holidays and feast may be ancient in origin, but they produce tempting gourmet foods that have all the natural goodness health-conscious cooks look for today. While the Bible does not give primary attention to the foods people ate or how they prepared them for consumption, beginning with God’s gift to humanity of plants and fruit for food in Genesis 1, to a reference to the twelve kinds of fruit in Revelations 22, there is hardly a biblical chapter that does not contain some allusion to various types of foods, cooking and eating. Unlike some of their Babylonian predecessors or later Roman successors, the biblical writers did not record any recipes for the meals they often mention in passing. Yet through a careful study of the ancient Near Eastern literary legacy, together with an investigation of how more recent Middle Eastern culinary experts have prepared the same food our biblical ancestors ate, it is possible to visualize what a number of these meals were like. The cuisine of the Bible is naturally a healthful one. It embodies the principles recommended by nutritionist and physicians today. All bread and grain dishes were of whole grain and all milling was done with stones: hence there was important fiber in the diet. Vegetarian and dairy meals were popular. Beans, grains and raw vegetables were eaten frequently, as was yogurt and simple cheeses. Poultry and fish were far more commonly served than meat, which was generally reserved for special occasions. Fruits and nuts were the main ingredients in fine sauces and desserts. (Refined sugar did not exist and is not part of the recipes that follow), but you will find other unusual sweeteners made from dates, grapes and of course honey. The site of the Holy Land, between the empires of the Fertile Crescent made it a melting pot of culinary influences, and the extraordinary lives of many biblical men and women placed them in the royal courts of ancient civilizations throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. The early pastoralists, around 3000 B.C. roasted choice meats in their fire pits and baked bread on heated stones. In the late Stone Age Of Genesis, the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob hunted wild birds, milked and managed their flocks, gathered the herbs that seasoned their foods, and tended their staple, still semi wild crops of barley, figs, and grapes. Savory stews, roasted lamb, grilled quail, fresh curd cheeses, macerated fruits, unleavened breads and parched-grain salads are all examples of the fresh “primitive” cuisine they had to eat. Advances in the Kitchen arts came in Pharaoh’s Egypt, along a fertile river valley famous for its abundant foodstuffs. The stonework of the Egyptian tombs has left us pictures of the kitchens, bakeries, gardens, and fisheries of the second millennium before Christ. (Some carvings remain so detailed that poultry can still be identified from the markings on its wings). In Egypt the arts of baking and brewing blossomed. Actual pieces of petrified bread discovered in recent times testify to the use of leavenings. The records of the Pharaoh Ramses 111, list over a million loaves of various breads presented to their deity, Amonra, probably eaten by the slaves who built the pyramids. In the Promised Land, filled with milk and honey, wheat, grapes, barley, figs and olives, the people of the Bible built a powerful nation-state founded on their unique religious principles. The principles, extending to the combining and handling of food, forbade the consumption of meat and dairy products in the same meal, thus distinguishing the cuisine of the Hebrews from all other Middle Eastern groups. When the Israelites were conquered by Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece and Rome, new foods and cooking styles were introduced. These empires have left literate recipes and cooking records, which were generally concerned with the splendor of the royal tables. These were often more explicit and detailed than those in the Bible. The oldest known “cookbook” is a set of Mesopotamia clay tablets, originally thought to be a pharmaceutical manual. As in all ancient cooking records so far discovered, there were no exact measurements given. The tolerant Persians were next to take over the Holy Land and its people. Consummate traders and seamen, with an empire that stretched almost to India. The Persians introduced new plants, animals and spices to their subjects and perfected a cuisine of legendary delicacy and abundance. (The Book of Esther) begins with a Persian banquet, which lasted for one hundred and eighty days (Esther 1: -6). As the people of the Holy Land became part of the Greek and Roman empires, their dining and cooking styles expanded. The classical records on botany, dietary customs and food technology are quite extensive, and include the cookbooks of Apicius, DeRe Coquinaria, believed to have been written around the time of the early Christian Church. The Imperial Romans were fond of large and sumptuous meals, and were forced to pass laws restricting extravagant feasts. Inspectors even attended banquets to keep the menu selections within established boundaries. Even the temperate early Christians needed a reminder from Paul that dignified appetite was the standard for the communal meals of the church (Jude 12). And now I invite you to enter biblical life through the kitchen door, where you will discover a nourishing and often surprisingly sophisticated cuisine based on the Bibles many references to cooking and eating, generally amid settings of great rejoicing in the gift of food from God.
3 lbs. Boneless lamb, goat or venison cubed 2 tbs. Olive oil 2 to 3 cloves garlic 11/2 cups red wine ½ cup water 2 tsp. Dry mustard 2 tsp. Ground coriander 2 tsp. Ground cumin 1 cup dried figs, halved Salt to taste Instructions: Trim the meat of fat. In a stew pot, brown the cubed meat in olive oil. Mash the garlic and add to the browning. meat for the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking. Add the wine, water, mustard, spices and figs. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes. (Goat as well as large cubes of lamb will require 2 hours to cook). Salt to taste and serve with basic Millet or Bulghar wheat. Serve with a watercress salad and Raisin Cake.
Raisin Cake: (Song of Solomon 2:5) 4 eggs ½ cup, honey ½ cup, whole-wheat pastry flour ½ tsp, Salt 21/2, cups raisins, chopped (dates or figs may be substituted) 1 cup, almonds Whipped cream Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Gradually beat in honey, flour, salt, raisins and nuts. Pour batter into oiled 9 x 9-inch pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Acts 14:17: Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy………Amen
(Song Of Solomon 2:5)
5 lg. Tart apples (Granny Smith) Juice of one lemon 4 tbs. Honey 2 tsp. Rose water (more to taste if desired) Candied rose petals Mint leaves Crushed ice Instructions: Grate unpeeled apples and place in a bowl. Add lemon juice and honey; then add rose water. Chill. Garnish with rose petals and mint. Serve on top of a bed of fresh snow or crushed ice. (Serve with roast lamb, chicken or grilled fish, and as a side dish with basic fresh curd and yogurt cheese and whole-wheat sourdough bread. Rose Apple salad is an excellent light dessert.
Barley Cakes: (Ezekiel 4:12)
11/2 cups, hot milk ¼ tsp. Salt 1 tbs. Honey 3 cups, barley flour ¾ cup, raisins Oil for frying Instructions: Combine all ingredients and shape into balls. Flatten into rounds. Fry in hot oil 5 minutes on each side or bake 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 400-degrees. Date Syrup: ¼ lb. Dates pitted ½ cup, water Instructions: In a saucepan, combine dates and water and simmer on low heat until dates are soft. Mash dates into water and cook until thick syrup is formed. (Refrigerate). (This is very good over waffles and pancakes).
(Luke 24:41-43) Per serving: 1/3 lb. White, firm-fleshed fish fillets or steaks. 1 tbs. Olive oil 1 tbs. Honeycomb Vinegar or lemon juice Instructions: Rub fish with olive oil and put into an oiled baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or broil on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and put a tablespoon of honeycomb on each fish fillet or steak. Turn up broiler to high and put fish directly underneath heat to glaze. Honey should caramelize into a light brown. Serve hot or cold with vinegar or lemon juice. Accompany with Barley Cakes.
(Numbers 11:5)
1 lg. Onion per serving 3 tbs. Rich stock or 1 bouillon cube per onion Large cabbage leaves (optional) Instructions: Peel each onion and remove enough of the top to wedge a bouillon cube in the leaves. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Alternatively, spoon stock onto each onion and wrap tightly. These onions are delicious roasted in the coals. To bake in cabbage leaves: Prepare onions with bouillon cubes or stock as above. Wrap each in a large cabbage leaf and pack into a baking dish. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve this low-caloric treat instead of a potato.
Chicken Braised With Spinach and Prunes:
1 lg. Onion sliced ½ tsp. Cinnamon 2 cloves, garlic minced 3 lb. Chicken pieces 1 cup, chicken stock ¼ cup, tart grape juice, lemon juice or vinegar ½ cup, water 2 lbs. Fresh spinach or 20 oz. Frozen (do not thaw) 10 prunes, pitted Dash of Cumin 2 bunches scallions, chopped ½ tsp. Grated citron peel (optional) Salt to taste Walnut pieces Instructions: In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion with cinnamon and turmeric in oil, fat, or butter for 3 minutes. Add garlic. Then add chicken pieces and brown. Add all other ingredients (except salt and walnuts). Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked, adding more water if necessary. Salt to taste. Add additional spices if desired. Garnish with walnut pieces. Serve with lentils and rice, Basic Millet, and Honey Cheesecake.
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