A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land [Paperback]

Kitty Morse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

A crossover book like no other, "A Biblical Feast" is a fascinating blend of food, history, and traditional recipes updated for today's kitchen. Author Kitty Morse has researched the original Mediterranean diet--foods that appear in the Bible and were eaten by Christ and the people of the time. Illustrated with maps and photos of historical foods, this is a visual feast that will nourish the spirit as well as the body .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Growing up in Morocco, Kitty Morse was struck by how many people still lived as their ancestors had in biblical times. This observation led her to wonder what people ate during the time of the Scriptures. Poring exhaustively through the Bible, she found many food references, such as the one for Esau's porridge, and another about a garden of cucumbers, but only the text of Ezekiel 4:9 regarding bread came close to being a recipe. So Morse delved into other sources, from the Dead Sea Scrolls to archaeological data. In A Biblical Feast, she draws reasonable and enlightening conclusions from the information she gleaned. For biblical cooks, "Low cooking (stewing), rather than roasting or frying, was their favorite method of cooking.... The ancient Hebrews prepared and ate most foods with their hands."

Morse lists all the foods mentioned in the King James Bible, but assumes there were others, too, because the writers of the Old and New Testaments were, logically, more concerned with theology and other events than with "botanical, zoological, and culinary matters."

Biblical cooks had no sugar for sweetening, only reduced syrups from dates, pomegranates, and other fruit. Morse also explains what grains were available and how they were used. There are recipes you will enjoy, such as Toasted Ground Almond and Sesame Dip; Chicken, Leek, and Garbanzo Bean Stew; and Apricots with Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Nuts in Honey Syrup. Many of the recipes, reflecting ancient times and ingredients, produce bland results, such as Barley Cakes, which are mostly of historical interest. A Biblical Feast is recommended for teachers and for those who might use its information in family activities. --Dana Jacobi

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898159652
• ISBN-13: 978-0898159653
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #780,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kitty Morse hails from the "real "kasbah" in Morocco. She was born in Casablanca of a French mother and British father, and emigrated to the United States in 1964.

She is the author of nine cookbooks, five of them on the cuisine of Morocco and North Africa. They include Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from my Moroccan Kitchen (Chronicle Books), The Scent of Orange Blossoms (Ten Speed Press), and The California Farm Cookbook (Pelican Publishing).

Kitty's career as a food writer, cooking teacher, and lecturer, spans more than twenty-five years. More recently, she became the author/publisher of the second edition of A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Diet for Today's Table.

Her next book bears the working title of Mint Tea and Minarets: A Memoir of Morocco with Recipes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight for biblical scholars, history buffs, or cooks, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land (Paperback)

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in Biblical times? Or just wanted to try making your own yogurt or unleavened bread? A Biblical Feast gives insight into daily life in the Middle East in Biblical times, foods mentioned throughout the Bible, as well some unique recipes! Highly recommended for something different!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Cooking into Re-created Biblical Foods, September 29, 2004

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land (Paperback)

Moroccan raised cook and cookbook author researches and produces an exceptional cookbook on biblical land cuisine, not to invent any biblical haute extravaganza, but to provide examples of what the Lord and apostles might have dined on.

The layout adorning these recipes and commentary is neat --- it's sort of a faux ancient look and feel, which with the Biblical text quoted with each recipe, creates an unusual and attractive backdrop for this collection.

These are not hard recipes to prepare either technique wise nor ingredients. They are basic and using foodstuffs of that age: lamb and goat and olives and wine and nuts and wheat and beans and spices and leeks, etc.

This is well researched and produced with nice written comments throughout. I've tried several: Flatbread with Cheese and Melon; Barley Gruel with Honey, Dates and Raisins; Pomegranate Honey-Glazed Grilled Fish (unbelievable that tilapia was likely fish of Jesus' choice). They are edible and enjoyable and takes one away from all frills to basics.

This is fascinating book to use and to give as meaningful gift.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little gem of a book!, January 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land (Paperback)

Originally stumbled across this gem of a reference/cookbook in the cooking section of the public library. Found it fascinating. In 2000 I used it to plan & prepare "Biblical finger foods" for a Maundy Thursday service at the church I belong to. We served all the foods from handmade pottery and baskets on a bed of palm fronds (from Palm Sunday). Along with the Lenten music program provided by our choir and a slide presentation of the Holy Land narrated by our pastor the Biblical foods were one aspect of a very moving "multi-media" evening for over 100 people. I can't wait to have my own copy.