Food

In Bible times food did not have much variety. Only rich people ate meat regularly. Poor people served meat when they had important guests, or at special celebrations, or when they made a sacrifice to God. Then a certain portion was given as a sacrifice, another portion to the priest, and the rest was eaten by the family. Because there was no refrigeration, meat had to be eaten within a few hours after the animal was killed, or else it would spoil. Cows and goats were raised for their milk rather than meat. Sheep were raised for their wool or for sacrifices. Milk was made into cheese and yogurt. Abraham served curds and a cooked calf to the angels who visited him.

The most common food in the Bible was bread. It was the main part of every meal. This is why Jesus taught His disciples to pray for “our daily bread.” Poor people usually ate bread made from barley. Wealthy people ate bread made from wheat. Jesus used barley bread—a child’s lunch—to feed over five thousand people.

The vegetables eaten included onions, cucumbers, leeks, garlic, beans, and lentils. Beans and lentils were used in stews and sometimes mixed with flour to make bread. Esau traded his birthright for a pot of vegetables.

People usually ate two meals a day. Workers often took some flatbread and cheese or dried fruit with them to work. A light meal was eaten sometime between ten o’clock and noon just before a midday rest from the hot sun. Ruth ate roasted grain after gleaning in Boaz’s fields. A large meal was eaten in the evening. This was a time for fellowship and having guests. Banquets and feasts were always held in the evening. At ordinary meals women ate with the men, but only men were invited to banquets.

In Abraham’s time people usually sat on the ground for meals. But in New Testament times diners stretched out on the floor or on couches on three sides of a large, low, square table, leaving the fourth side free for serving. Knives, forks, or spoons were not used. People dipped bread into the pot or used their fingers.