Food from Scripture

Fish stories capture our attention with suspense and metaphor. We love to hear about the big catch or the one that got away.

Velvety soft on the outside with sweet crimson flesh within, the fig is a captivating food that makes its biblical debut in Genesis.

With more than 300 references to wine, vineyards and winemaking, Scripture underscores the significance of the grape in biblical places and times. Wine is an omnipresent food that became spiritual nourishment for both Jews and Christians.

Bread is among the earliest prepared foods, with archeological evidence of it dating back more than 10,000 years. A primary source of nourishment for humankind, bread is replete with mythology, tradition and ritual. Scripture offers some fine examples.

Milk and honey make grand appearances in the Old Testament to represent prosperity in the Promised Land. It is God who promises to lead the enslaved Israelites "into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey" (Ex 3:8).

One of God's more timid creatures is embodied with deep religious symbolism forever tied to the Jewish and Christian faiths. The gentle lamb appears as a sacrificial saving grace from Exodus through the New Testament.

Olives have been cultivated and crushed for oil for at least 2,000 years before the Christian era. Scripture gives no doubt to the abundance of the small bitter fruits in biblical lands.

From the first winter bud to the harvest of pockmarked shells in late summer, almonds take time to mature.