The Bible and Food

Now I'm not the world's greatest cook but I was working on a handout I distribute to my students on the Passover and the Sedar meal for my course on the Pentateuch. I don’t get a lot of time to dwell on the Sedar meal and it’s significance but I fund students are very interested in it so I try and have something that they can work with outside of the class. Here’s a rough version of it-I change it every year depending on the focus of the group so it’s a bit general:

Passover is the 8-day celebration that commemorates the setting free and escape (exodus) of the people of Israel from Egypt. It is a period of family get-togethers and lavish meals that are called Seders. The story of the Passover is retold through the reading of the Haggadah. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan and just like Easter the date changes every year.

Passover in 2011 will start on Wednesday, the 19th of April and will continue for until Thursday, the 26th of April. (Note that in the Jewish calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day). Chabad.org is a fantastic website that is packed with info and ltos of things for children. I have actually used this book in class too-some times you need to go back to basics-and it has lovely pictures!

According to the Book of Exodus - Moses, was ordered by God to go to the Pharaoh and insist on the independence of the Israelite slaves. Moses' appeal of let my people go was ignored. Moses warned the Pharaoh that God would send brutal punishments to Egyptians if the Israelites were not freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses' request of freedom. In response God unleashed a series of ten terrible plagues on the people of Egypt

1. Blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice (vermin)
4. Wild Beasts (flies)
5. Blight (Cattle Disease)
6. Boils
7. Hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Killing of the First Born

I usually add in those who think the plagues are scientifically provable and those who think it's all a natural occurrence:

The holiday's name - Pesach, meaning "passing over”, or "protection" in Hebrew, is derived from the instructions given to Moses by God. In order to persuade the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, God intended to kill the first-born of both man and beast. To protect themselves, the Israelites were told to mark their dwellings on the door lintel with lamb’s blood so that God could identify and "pass over" their homes.

When the Pharaoh finally agreed to freedom, the Israelites left their homes so quickly that there wasn't even time to bake their breads. So they packed the raw dough to take with them on their journey. As they fled through the desert they would quickly bake the dough in the hot sun into hard crackers called matzohs. Today to commemorate this event, Jews eat matzoh in place of bread during Passover

Passover celebrates this event. The first two nights of the 8-day holiday are celebrated with lavish meals called Seders in which the stories and history of Passover are celebrated. With its special foods, songs, and customs, the Seder is the focal point of the Passover celebration. Special foods, plates, silverware are all a part of the Seder.

Traditional Passover Foods & Their Symbolism

Unleavened Bread -- In their haste to leave Egypt and escape slavery, the Israelites had no time to let dough rise for bread. Their only provision was matzoh, which is made of wheat but not allowed to ferment or rise. Matzoh is a perfect example of how the food we eat is intricately woven into history, traditions, and culture. It is the bread of both slavery and of freedom.

Roasted Lamb Bone -- The roasted lamb bone symbolizes the lamb that was sacrificed at the Holy Temple of Jerusalem on the eve of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The blood of that ancient sacrifice was used to mark the doors of the Israelites, so they might be "passed over.” Today, many families substitute a chicken or turkey neck for the lamb. Whichever meat you choose, roast it in the oven until done, and then scorch over a flame, like a gas burner or grill. Jewish vegetarians have been known to use a whole roasted beet instead of lamb.

Roasted Egg -- Eggs symbolize the perpetual cycle of life, from birth to death to re-birth. To roast eggs, first hard boil them, then, using tongs, hold over a gas burner or candle flame.

Bitter Herbs -- Fresh horseradish, without beets or vinegar, graces the Seder plate to symbolize the bitterness of slavery.

Greens -- Greens, usually fresh parsley or celery tops, represent re-birth and spring.

Salt Water -- The greens are traditionally dipped in salt water, which symbolizes the tears of the Hebrew slaves.

Charoset -- A traditional Passover dish, charoset consists of a mixture of chopped fruits, usually apples, nuts, raisins, spices, and wine. The mixture represents the mortar Hebrew slaves used to make bricks for the Pharaoh Ramses II.

Some websites that have recipes for Passover meals and foods

Buy your paper Sedar plates
Kosher Cooking
Jewish Recipes

This all got me to thinking about the Bible and Food (and lunch if I'm honest) and I found this amazing website Biblical Cooking.

Are you looking for bible inspired dishes for your restaurant or home kitchen? If so you came to the right place, welcome to the Biblical Cooking website. We invite you to browse through our user friendly website and find out how easy biblical cooking can be. 

I wasn't but I sure as hell am now....
 Try King David's Lamb Chops:

So there must be more right?

Oh yeah...

Nutritional Information from a Biblical Perspective

A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land.

Diet with God

The Hallelujah Diet





Food mentioned in the Bible

 

Cooking with the Bible 

Cooking with the Ancients

Food at the Time of the Bible. From Adam's Apple to the Last Supper. Which is surely the winner of Best Book Title EVER. I have to share the blurb:

Was the "forbidden fruit" of the garden of Eden really an apple? What is St. Peter's Fish? What was in the bowl that Jesus dipped into at the Last Supper? Within the pages of this book you will find a uniquely in-depth and easy-to-read survey of every aspect of food in the Bible, accompanied by fascinating illustrations and photographs. You will learn not only what people ate and drank in Bible days, but how they raised their food, stored it, traded in it, and prepared it. You will take a fresh look at food through the eyes of Scripture, seeing new and deeper symbolic meanings behind many a menu.
Best of all, you will find an exciting collection of biblically-inspired, easy-to-prepare recipes for a cornucopia of delicious dishes to share with friends and family.
As you enjoy learning about what our biblical ancestors ate, you will find yet another way of coming closer to Bible days and Bible ways. Through this book you will discover that Scripture, the most important inspiration in our spiritual lives, can be an inspiration in the kitchen as well!

I could go on but my tummy is rumbling :) I'll let you know when I try some recipes!

Easter Art

I sent out my "Happy Easter" card to all my Millltown students on Friday (They're all on holidays this week the lucky things). While composing the message I was struck by the lack of graphics that you can use for Easter Greetings-it's all either bunnies, or lambs or the "Sacred Heart" (and frankly frightening) depictions of Jesus:

I love art that makes me think so when I found the artwork of the famed Chinese artist He Qi I knew I was on to a winner. This is my favourite and is called "He is Risen"-I use it when I teach about the women and the Resurrection in the Gospel of Luke. I love the colours and the symbolism in the painting.

This picture below is typical of the kind of technique employed by He Si-have a look at the website for more examples from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament and do sent me on recommendations if you have any.

Some websites of resources for children that you could use for some downtime over the holidays or at your Children's Liturgy or Family Mass:

Colouring pages, lots of links on Apples 4 the teacher, lots of different resources-some suited more to a classroom environment Resources for Christian Teachers, where would you be at Easter with "Tomb Cookies"? Don't forget to include something on Passover if you have the time and check out the excellently named "Fridge Art" website for some more Catholic ideas.

Lent & Easter Websites

Lent may be a time for penance and giving up chocolate and sugar in your tea (though if you're Irish you're already looking forward to St Patrick's Day-our national "Day Off" Lent and some Sundays. And your birthday if you're lucky enough to have it fall in the 40 days (though is it really 40? Can we squeeze another day off from somewhere?) but it's something that's being featured more and more on the Internet. Lent even has it's own hashtag on Twitter where #imgivingup is currently a trending topic on the site.

I'm trying to DO something for Lent rather than suffer misery and asked for suggestions on Facebook-some websites people recommended were:

CAFOD the official overseas development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has great ideas on what to do with the money you save over Lent (thank you Jane!)
LiveSimply hasn't updated their site for 2010 but the Lenten Ideas page for 2009 is excellent
The American Franciscan website (thank you Nancy!) has a great focus on reducing your carbon footprint. Accroding to Nacy this is all the rage stateside for Lent and something worth embracing all year round!

In Ireland it's Give Up Smoking Day so those addicted to the weed should check out the HSE website-good luck with that and may it last longer than 40 days!

Here's a few other websites concerned with the Lenten Season and some you could look at for ideas for Easter:

This Franciscan run website features a Lenten calendar, activities, readings and reflections updated daily throughout Lent, from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week and Good Friday. One particularly useful aspect of the site is the “Lenten Radio Retreat” which includes inspiring words and songs for Sunday Lenten reflection either online, or offline with a MP3 player. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the site will post a new retreat each week for the duration of the Lenten season. There are also links to many articles from the publication “Catholic Update” that may be used for reflection including an excellent examination of the events in the Garden of Gethsemane, the significance of the Cross and some helpful FAQs on Lent which could be included in your parish bulletin. The e-cards on the site are slightly cheesy though-Have a Happy Lent?

The website run by the Global Catholic Network offers beautiful reflections on the Stations of the Cross with accompanying graphics. Websites such as this offer an excellent resource for small pastoral groups and even educators who may wish to offer a guide to the Stations but may not have the time and resources to attend a church or other physical representation. The ever popular Sacred Space website offers an online retreat on its well maintained site. The site also has an e-card resource and provides links to other sites that offer Lenten resources. One of the most admirable aspects of the content of the site is that its resources are translated into many languages making it accessible to practically all members of our communities.

Fr James McSweeney from Cork runs this excellent site that offers a “thought for the day” and is a good recommendation for those who resolve to take some time out from a busy day and focus on the philosophy of the site- that today is God’s gift to you. As a keen (and talented) photographer, James updates the photo on the main page each day and manages to blend the secular and spiritual with a reflective and inspiring approach that is worth a visit during the Lenten season.

Trócaire and the box with a wide-eyed child on it are synonymous with Lent for many Irish people and their website and provides background information on their Lenten theme, this year it is Hunger. There are plenty of development education resources for teachers and students featured on the site with information on Trócaire’s work with displaced people and an online form for ordering a Lenten DVD for schools. The colourful and easy navigable site provides not just information on Trócaire’s work with displaced people but resources that may be used in parishes. Clergy would benefit from reflection on the “thought for the week”, based on Trócaire’s ongoing charitable work throughout the world.

This site provides a beautiful resource on the Way of the Cross for use during Holy Week. The presentation is based on the “Bitter Journey” and provides reflections on Jesus’ last journey before his crucifixion through scripture references, reflections and religious texts accompanied by music and other sounds. The graphics that are used to portray a more modern, audio-visual contemplation on the traditional Stations of the Cross are the strong point of the site, promoting a real engagement with the material. The concept for the site is based on the traditions associated with the Tenebrae services, the Stations of the Cross and the Lamentations of Good Friday. In omitting some of the traditional Catholic stations, this feature refers to Pope John Paul II’s revised celebration of the Way of the Cross, which he led in Rome in 1991. The series of scenes is played using Adobe Flash player, which may be downloaded for free on the Internet. Teachers and those involved with small parish groups can easily download the montage using Real Player.

As our attention turns towards Jerusalem during Holy Week, it is interesting to use the Internet as a competent visual aid. This website provides a gateway to the holy city of Jerusalem with easy access anytime and from anywhere to the 3.4 billion people around the world have a special place in their hearts for the city. Those adventurous enough can record their own prayer to be broadcast by the websites owners through loudspeakers at various points over Jerusalem. The site offers educational resources on all areas of religious significance in the city, including video guides to the principal prayer sites. The option on the left hand side of the main page “Western Wall” provides a live feed to those praying at the Western Wall, a privileged view only those luck enough to travel to the city can witness. For more detailed images of the city, equirectangular images are used on Jerusalem360 to provide a 360 degree, virtual tour of Jerusalem. Sites such as the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, All Nations Church and the Western Wall (both a day and night view) can be viewed in a full 360 degree “sphere”-all the benefits of the tourist experience without the crick in your neck! You can also get a “feel” for the culture of the city by clicking on the “People” tag and see 360 degree stills of children at a history lesson in the Old city and a brightly coloured souk. The site needs Quicktime to load the images but provides a link to a free download if your computer does not already have it installed.

And if you're still stuck for ideas just donate some money to the people of Haiti and the relief effort