Our recent chat with Garry Torres of Food for life has gotten us thinking about biblical food. Is there a biblical food movement? Can we recreate the foods of the ancients in our own homes? Should we? We did a little poking around and found that although Food for Life's Ezekiel Bread is the only actual recipe provided in the bible, a whole slew of people have taken stabs at bible-inspired cooking. Just in case you find yourself craving a divine snack, here are 6 biblical cookbooks to get you started:
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Cooking with the Bible: Biblical Food, Feasts, and Lore by Anthony F. Chiffolo and Rayner W. Hesse: Many biblical stories can provide clues as to how the ancients ate, cooked and entertained. This book gives an in-depth view of eighteen such anecdotes and attempts to recreate them using modern techniques. Each chapter provides the reader with a menu, an essay outlining the biblical and cultural significance of the meal in context, and a list of recipes to recreate in your own home. Such dishes include Rice of Beersheba, Rebekah's Tasty Lamb Stew, Goat's Milk and Pomegranate Syrup Torte, Haroset a la Greque, and Pesach Black Bread. Part two of the book provides detailed information on the ingredients themselves as well as on the biblical system of weights and measures. |
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Good Food from the Good Book by Leslie Bilderback: The other of several other culinary Idiot’s Guide books takes a stab at the bible, sporting the slogan, “Holy is Healthy.” Using a host of healthy ingredients, the book attempts to incorporate whole grains, vegetables, and non-refined sugars into each of its 100 recipes that are meant to recreate biblical dishes or the closest modern equivalent. It also is littered with scriptural quotes and fun biblical facts. |
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Miracle Food Cures from the Bible by Reese Dubin: Anyone familiar with the bible will concur that it is big on repetition. Certain foods, for example, can be mentioned several times over the course of a narrative. This book maintains that such repetitions are no accident, but rather that the Bible is trying to give us advice about what we should be putting into our bodies. The authors utilize these helpful biblical suggestion into providing readers with holistic advice. These “miracle cures” include a “sacred medicinal drink that prevents blood clots, relieves pain, and melts fat off artery walls, real-life examples that demonstrate the curative power of plant oils, figs, grapes, red wine, [and] the amazing health-giving power of a blessed grain.” Laugh if you want, but the testimonials on Amazon might make a believer out of you. |
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A Biblical Feast: Foods From the Holy Land by Kitty Morse: Moroccan author and cook Kitty Morse knew that many people around her attempted to live as their ancestors did in biblical times. However, when she herself consulted the bible for food recipes, the information was disappointingly scant. This prompted her to delve into other auxiliary resources such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and recent archaeological findings. This gave her the know-how to suggest some great, informed recipes including Toasted Ground Almond and Sesame Dip, Chicken, Leek, and Garbanzo Bean Stew, and Apricots with Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Nuts in Honey Syrup. |
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Food At The Time Of The Bible: From Adam's Apple To The Last Supper by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh: A great beginner’s guide to biblical cooking, this books comes complete with lots of illustrations and introductory information on the topic. Provides several easy to make recipes and a compilation of plants and animals and their biblical symbolism. |
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Cooking with the Ancients : Bible Food Book by Arlene Stadd: This book provides a lot of historical information on biblical cooking. It does include recipes, however they mostly consist of modern foods prepared with certain biblical ingredients. Would make a good read for a biblical food enthusiast, but might be disappointing in the kitchen. |