FOOD
it
is
evident
from
12"i
that
the
gazelle
and
the
hart
were
the
typical
animals
of
the
chase
hunted
for
the
sake
of
their
flesh.
They
are
also
named
along
with
the
roebuck
In
Solomons
list,
1
K
i".
One
or
more
of
these,
doubtless
supplied
the
venison
from
which
Esau
was
wont
to
make
the
'
savoury
meat
'
which
his
father
loved
(Gn
25^'
27").
Among
the
unclean
animals
which
were
taboo
to
the
Hebrews
the
most
interesting
are
the
swine
(Lv
11',
Dt
14«:
ct.
Mt
S™-
and
parallels),
the
camel,
the
hare,
and
the
ass
(but
see
2
K
e^s).
6.
In
the
Deuteronomic
list
above
cited,
the
per-mitted
and
forbidden
quadrupeds
are
followed
by
this
provision
regarding
fish:
"These
ye
shall
eat
of
all
that'
are
in
the
waters,
whatsoever
hath
fins
and
scales
shall
ye
eat:
and
whatsoever
hath
not
fins
and
scales
ye
shall
not
eat,
it
is
unclean
unto
you'
(Dt
14"'-
RV;
cf.
Lv
119-12).
No
particular
species
of
fish
is
named
in
OT,
either
as
food
or
otherwise,
although
no
fewer
than
thirty-six
species
are
said
to
be
found
In
the
Jordan
system
alone.
Yet
we
may
be
sure
that
the
fish
which
the
Hebrews
enjoyed
in
Eygpt
'for
nought'
(Nu
11=
RV)
had
their
successors
in
Canaan.
Indeed,
it
is
usual
to
find
in
the
words
of
Dt
33",
'they
shall
suck
the
abundance
of
the
seas,'
a
contemporary
reference
to
the
fisheries
possessed
by
the
tribes
of
Zebulun
and
Issachar.
In
the
days
of
Nehemiah
a
considerable
trade
in
cured
fish
was
carried
on
by
Tyrian,
i.e.
Phosnician,
merchants
with
Jerusalem
(Neh
IS'^),
where
a
market
must
have
been
held
at
or
near
the
Fish-gate
(3'
etc.).
In
still
later
times,
as
is
so
abundantly
testified
by
the
Gospels
and
Josephus,
the
Sea
of
Galilee
was
the
centre
of
a
great
fishing
industry.
In
addition
to
the
demand
for
fresh
fish,
a
thriving
trade
was
done
in
the
salting
and
curing
of
fish
for
sale
throughout
the
country.
The
fishes
of
our
Lord's
two
miracles
of
feeding
were
almost
certainly
of
this
kind,
fish
cleaned,
split
open,
salted,
and
finally
dried
in
the
sun,
having
been
at
all
times
a
favourite
form
of
provision
for
a
journey.
7.
Regarding
the
'clean'
birds,
all
of
which
were
allowed
as
food
(Dt
14n),
no
definite
criterion
is
pre-scribed,
but
a
list
of
prohibited
species
is
given
(Lv
1
1"-",
Dt
14"-"),
mostly
birds
of
prey,
including
the
bat.
In
the
ritual
of
various
sacrifices,
however,
pigeons
and
turtle
doves,
and
these
only,
find
a
place,
and
are
therefore
to
be
reckoned
as
'clean'
for
ordinary
pur-poses
as
well.
The
early
domestication
of
these
birds
is
shown
by
the
reference
to
the
'
windows
'
of
the
dove-cots
in
Is
60',
while
the
Mishna
has
much
to
say
regarding
various
breeds
of
domestic
pigeons,
their
'towers,'
feeding,
etc.
The
ordinary
domestic
fowl
of
the
present
day
seems
to
have
been
first
introduced
into
Palestine
from
the
East
in
the
Persian
period
(2
Es
l^",
Mt
23"
26"
and
parallels)
.
The
fatted
fowl
for
Solomon's
table
(1
K
423)
are
generally
supposed
to
be
geese,
which
with
poultry
and
house-pigeons
are
frequently
named
in
the
Mishna.
Roast
goose
was
a
favourite
food
of
the
Egyptians,
and
has.
indeed,
been
called
their
national
dish.
Among
the
edible
game
birds
mention
is
made
of
the
partridge
and
the
quail
(see
these
articles).
Most
or
all
of
these
were
probably
included
in
the
'
fowls
'
(lit.
birds)
which
appeared
on
Nehemiah's
table
(5").
'The
humble
sparrow
(Mt
IC,
Lk
128)
would
have
been
beneath
the
dignity
of
a
Persian
governor.
The
eggs
of
all
the
clean
birds
were
also
important
articles
of
food
(Dt
22',
Is
10»,
Lk
1112;
Job
6«
is
doubtful,
see
KVm).
Ostrich
eggs
have
recently
been
found
in
an
early
grave
at
Gezer
{PEFSt
1907,
191).
8.
Under
the
head
of
animal
food
must
also
be
reck-oned
the
various
edible
insects
enumerated,
Lv
ll^^i-,
apparently
four
species
of
the
locust
family
(see
Locust)
.
Locusts
were
regarded
as
delicacies
by
the
Assyrians,
formed
part
of
the
food
of
John
the
Baptist
(Mt
3',
Mk
V),
and
are
stiU
eaten
by
the
Arabs.
By
the
latter
they
are
prepared
in
various
ways,
one
of
the
commonest
being
to
remove
the
head,
legs,
and
wings,
and
to
fry
FOOD
the
body
in
samn
or
clarified
butter.
Locusts
may
also
be
preserved
by
salting.
This
is
the
place,
further,
to
refer
to
the
article
Honey
for
information
regarding
that
important
article
of
diet.
9.
Nothing
has
as
yet
been
said
on
the
subject
of
condiments.
Salt,
the
chief
of
condiments,
will
be
treated
separately
(see
Salt).
Of
the
others
it
has
been
said
that,
'
before
pepper
was
discovered
or
came
into
general
use,
seeds
like
cummin,
the
coriander,
etc.,
naturally
played
a
more
important
r61e.'
Of
these
the
greyish-white
seeds
of
the
coriander
are
named
in
Ex
163',
Nu
11';
these
are
still
used
in
the
East
as
a
spice
in
bread-making
and
to
flavour
sweetmeats.
Similariy
the
seeds
of
the
black
cummin
(Is
28'*
RVm)
are
sprinkled
on
bread
like
caraway
seeds
among
our-selves.
For
the
other
condiments,
mint,
anise,
cummin,
and
rue,
see
the
separate
articles.
'To
these
may
be
added
mustard,
of
which
theleaves,
not
the
seed,(Mt
133'),
were
cut
up
and
used
as
flavouring.
Pepper
is
first
mentioned
in
the
Mishna.
The
caper
-berry
(Ec
12'
RV)
was
eaten
before
meals
as
an
appetizer,
rather
than
used
as
a
condiment.
10.
Reference
has
already
been
made
to
the
restric-tions
laid
upon
the
Hebrews
in
the
matter
of
animal
food
by
the
all-important
distinction
between
'clean'
and
'unclean,'
as
applied
not
only
to
quadrupeds,
but
to
fish,
birds,
and
winged
creatures
generally.
All
creatures
technically
'unclean'
were
taboo,
to
use
the
modern
term
(see
Abomination,
Clean
and
Unclean).
There
were
other
food
taboos,
however,
which
require
a
brief
mention
here.
The
chief
of
these
was
the
absolute
prohibition
of
the
blood
even
of
'
clean
'
beasts
and
birds,
which
occupies
a
prominent
place
in
all
the
stages
of
the
Hebrew
dietary
legislation
(Dt
12'3-
'3.
25
1523;
Lv
17"«-
[H],
3"
ya"-
[P],
etc.).
Its
antiquity
is
attested
by
the
incident
recorded
1
S
1432ff-.
Accord-ing
to
P,
indeed,
it
is
coeval
with
the
Divine
permission
to
eat
animal
food
(Gn
9<).
All
sacrificial
animals
had
therefore
to
be
drained
of
their
blood
before
any
part
could
be
offered
to
God
or
man,
and
so
with
all
animals
slaughtered
for
domestic
use
only
(Dt
12'"),
and
with
all
game
of
beast
and
bird
taken
in
the
chase
(Lv
17'3).
Closely
associated
with
the
above
(ct.
Lv
3")
is
the
taboo
imposed
upon
certain
specified
portions
of
the
intestinal
fat
of
the
three
sacrificial
species,
the
ox,
the
sheep,
and
the
goat
(Lv
33^-
T^^s-
etc.),
to
which,
as
we
have
seen,
the
fat
tail
of
the
sheep
was
added.
There
was
forbidden,
further,
the
flesh
of
every
animal
that
had
died
a
natural
death
(Dt
14^1,
Lv
17''),
or
had
been
done
to
death
by
a
beast
of
prey
(Ex
223',
Lv
17");
in
short,
all
flesh
was
rigidly
taboo
except
that
of
an
animal
which
had
been
rituaUy
slaughtered
as
above
prescribed.
For
another
curious
taboo,
see
Gn
323^.
The
Jews
of
the
present
day
eat
only
such
meat
as
has
been
certifled
by
their
own
authorities
as
kosher,
i.e.
as
having
been
killed
in
the
manner
prescribed
by
Rabbinic
law.
The
intimate
association
in
early
times
between
flesh-food
and
sacriflce
explains
the
abhorrence
of
the
Hebrew
for
all
food
prepared
by
the
heathen,
as
illus-trated
by
Daniel
(Dn
1'),
Judas
Maccabseus
(2
Mac
5^'),
Josephus
(
Vita
3),
and
their
associates
(cf.
also
Ac
1520.
29_
1
Co
8i-'»
10'9-
23).
11.
A
word
finally
as
to
the
sources
of
the
Hebrew
food-supply.
Under
the
simpler
conditions
of
early
times
the
exclusive
source
of
supply
was
the
house-holder's
own
herd
(Gn
18')
or
flock
(27'),
his
vineyard
and
ollveyard
or
his
'garden
of
herbs'
(1
K
21^).
As
the
Hebrews
became
dwellers
in
cities
their
food-stufts
naturally
became
more
and
more
articles
of
commerce.
The
bakers,
for
example,
who
gave
their
name
to
a
street
in
Jerusalem
(Jer
372'),
not
only
fired
the
dough
prepared
in
private
houses,
as
at
the
present
day,
but,
doubtless,
baked
and
sold
bread
to
the
public,
as
did
their
successors
in
the
first
and
second
centuries
(see
