Tag: Ancient israelite cuisine

Evidence from archaeological digs reveals that the ancient Israelites cultivated several varieties of wheat, with emmer and durum being the most prominent. These ancient grains were central to daily life and religious practices, providing the staple for bread and other foodstuffs throughout the biblical period.

The ancient Israelite diet was primarily based on what scholars call the Mediterranean triad of grain, wine, and olive oil. To understand what was the diet like in biblical times, one must look beyond these staples to the wider social, seasonal, and religious factors that influenced what people ate.

Bread was such a central part of life in first-century Palestine that the Hebrew word for it, 'lehem', was often used to mean food in general. This reliance on grain provides a crucial insight into what was the typical diet in Jesus time, an eating pattern heavily influenced by season, economics, and Jewish law.