From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
list of foods with religious symbolism
provides details, and links to articles, of foods which are used in religious communities or traditions to symbolise an aspect of the faith, or to commemorate a festival or hero of that faith group. Many such foods are also closely associated with a particular date or season. As with all religious traditions, some such foods have passed into widespread secular use, but all those on this list have a religious origin. The list is arranged alphabetically and by religion.
Many religions have a particular 'cuisine' or tradition of cookery, associated with their culture (see, for example,
List of Jewish cuisine dishes
). This list is
not
intended for foods which are merely part of the cultural heritage of a religious body, but
specifically
those foods that bear religious symbolism in the way they are made, or the way they are eaten, or both.
Christianity
[
edit
]
- St Agatha's Breasts
(also Agatha Buns, or Minni di Virgini) - served on the feast day of
St Agatha
(5 February), the small round fruit buns are iced and topped with a cherry, intended to represent breasts. St Agatha was martyred by having her breasts cut off, for refusing to surrender her chastity and virginity to pagans. Due to this association, she has become the patron saint of bakers. Minne di Sant'Agata are a
Sicilian
version of the bun, made with a soft shortcrust pastry that holds a ricotta and chocolate mixture, and the same icing and cherry outer layer.
[1]
[2]
[3]
- Baklava
- in Greece, it is supposed to be made with 33 dough layers, referring to the years of Christ's life.
[4]
- Bread
- often (though not exclusively) unleavened bread; one of the two elements (with wine) of the Christian
eucharist
, the bread represents Christ's body.
[5]
- Cattern cake
- small individual cakes with
caraway
seeds, made on
St. Catherine's Day
(25 November) to celebrate St
Catherine of Alexandria
, and originating in Tudor times amongst the lace-makers of
Nottinghamshire
, England.
[6]
- Christopsomo
- a type of
Tsoureki
bread served at Christmas in Greece; Christmas symbols, and a cross, are traditionally incorporated into the loaf using dough shapes; it is flavoured with figs.
[7]
[8]
- Easter biscuit
- associated with
Easter
, particularly in parts of England, often flavoured with oil of cassia as a symbol of the perfumes used in preparing Christ's body for burial.
[9]
- Easter egg
- associated with Easter, as a symbol of new life.
[10]
[11]
- Fanesca
- Soup eaten during
Holy Week
in
Ecuador
. It contains twelve types of beans representing the Apostles and salt cod representing Jesus Christ.
[12]
- Figs
-
Figs in the Bible
are used prominently as symbols. In the New Testament, they are used in the
parable of the budding fig tree
and the
parable of the barren fig tree
.
- Galette des rois
- a puff pastry pie filled with
frangipane
and commonly eaten at
Epiphany
in northern Europe, francophone Canada, and other locations; it is the origin of other forms of
King cake
(see below), and shares the same traditions, including a charm (representing an infant) baked into each pie.
[13]
[14]
- St George cake - individual
fairy cakes
with white icing, and a red icing cross, eaten on
St George's Day
(23 April).
[15]
[16]
- Hot cross bun
- traditionally eaten on
Good Friday
after the Good Friday Liturgy, to break the fast required of Christians on that day.
[17]
- King cake
- a cake or bread served at Epiphany in many Christian countries, usually having a single bean baked inside it; as the
Three Kings
discovered the infant
Jesus
after following a guiding star, so the person discovering the bean (symbolic of a
swaddled
infant, and in modern times sometimes replaced by a small plastic baby) figuratively shares the joy of the three kings, or symbolically becomes a king for the day.
[18]
- Koulourakia
- pastry dessert served on Easter Day in parts of Greece.
[19]
- Lammas loaf - ordinary bread, but baked using flour from the first cut of the new harvest, for the
eucharist
of
Lammas
Festival (1 August).
[20]
- Lampropsomo
- a type of
Tsoureki
bread, flavoured with ground cherry stones, served at Easter in Greece; the name signifies the light of Christ, and red-painted hard boiled eggs are inserted as a symbol of Christ's blood (often three eggs, symbolic of the Holy Trinity).
[21]
- St. Lucia buns
(St Lucy buns) - a saffron bun with raisins, also known as
Lussekatter
, associated with
St Lucy's Day
(13 December) celebrations, especially in the countries of Scandinavia.
[22]
[23]
- Michaelmas Bannock
, St Michael's Bannock, or
Struan Micheil
is a
Hebridean
bread made from equal parts of barley, oats, and rye without using any metal implements.
[24]
- Michaelmas cake or St Michael cake - served at
Michaelmas
(29 September) this cake is identical to a
butterfly cake
, but the 'wings' represent angels rather than butterflies.
[25]
- Pancakes
- traditionally eaten on
Shrove Tuesday
to symbolise the end of rich eating before
Lent
(which begins the following day).
[26]
- Paska
- Polish and Ukrainian sweet bread baked and often blessed with other foods for consumption on Easter Sunday to mark the end of fasting.
[27]
- Pretzel
- Southern France monks (610 AD) baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child's arms folded in prayer. Also associated with
Lent
in some places.
[28]
- Religieuse
- a type of
eclair
common in France, made to resemble a nun (which is the meaning of its name).
[29]
- St Sarkis Aghablit - salty biscuits eaten by Armenian youths (traditionally girls, but also now boys
[30]
) on the eve of
St Sarkis's Day
to induce dreams of their future
spouse
, by the saint's blessing.
[31]
- St Sarkis Halva - a sweet pastry stuffed with fruit and nuts eaten in Armenian communities on
St Sarkis's Day
to symbolise the blessings brought by the saint.
[32]
[33]
- Simnel cake
- symbolically associated with
Lent
& Easter and particularly
Mothering Sunday
(the fourth Sunday of Lent).
[34]
- Soul cake
, soulmass-cake, or somas loaf - small bread-like cakes distributed on or around
All Souls Day
, sometimes known historically as soulmass or, by contraction, somas. The cakes commemorate the souls of the faithful departed. Once widespread in medieval England, the practice is now limited, but is also continued in a number of other nations.
[35]
[36]
- Stollen
- a German fruit bread with marzipan, eaten during
Advent
; it recalls a special Advent tradition restricted to Germany, granted by the Pope in the so-called "butter letter" (1490).
[37]
- ?wi?conka
- a savoury meal, each element of which is symbolic, blessed in churches on Holy Saturday, and eaten on Easter Day, in Poland.
[38]
- Vasilopita
- Saint Basil's or King's cake, traditionally eaten on New Year's Day in Greece. It is baked with a coin inside, and whoever finds the coin in their slice is considered blessed with good luck for the whole year.
[39]
- Wine
- one of the elements of consecration used in the
sacrament
of the
eucharist
, the wine can be representative of or truly Christ's blood depending on the denomination.
[5]
Hinduism
[
edit
]
Islam
[
edit
]
- Baklava
- associated with the fasting month of
Ramadan
and
Eid ul-Fitr
by the Balkans and Ottoman Empire.
[
why?
]
- Dates
- traditionally dates are eaten at the
Iftar
meal to break the fast of Ramadan, symbolically recalling the tradition that the prophet Muhammad broke his fast by eating three dates.
[42]
- Halva
- on the 7th and 40th days and first anniversary following the death of a Muslim, the semolina or flour helva is offered to visitors by relatives of the deceased; it is known in Turkish as “helva of the dead”. The ritual is also performed in Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran.
[
why?
]
- Ketupat
- packed rice wrapped in a woven palm leaf. Associated with Eid ul-Fitr among Muslims in Southeast Asia.
[43]
- Rendang
- spicy meat dish of
Minangkabau
. The ingredients of the food contains symbolism of the Minangkabau culture: the chili symbolizes
ulama
and
sharia
, the meat symbolizes clan leaders, the coconut milk symbolizes teachers, spice mixture symbolizes the rest of Minangkabau society.
- Tumpeng
- cone-shaped rice dish of
Javanese tradition
, associated with the
slametan
ceremony as well as the
Mawlid
ceremony.
Syncretic
in nature, also used in ceremonies of the
Balinese Hindu people
Judaism
[
edit
]
- Sufganiyot
- eaten on
Hannukah
, a fried pastry filled with sweet jelly symbolizing the miracle of oil.
- Apples and honey - eaten on
Rosh Hashanah
, to symbolize a sweet new year and also remind Jews of the
manna
provided by God to the Israelites as they wandered the desert for 40 years.
[44]
- Bread - two loaves of bread (
lechem mishneh
), usually braided
challah
, the
blessing
over which the Sabbath meals commence, symbolic of the double portion of
manna
that fell for the Israelites on the day before Sabbath during their 40 years in the desert after
the Exodus
from
Egypt
.
- Charoset
- a sweet paste eaten at the
Passover
Seder
, symbolically representing the mortar made by the Jews in Egyptian slavery.
[45]
- Cheese
blintzes
, cheese
kreplach
,
cheesecake
, cheese
sambusak
, atayef (a cheese-filled pancake), a seven-layer cake called
siete cielos
(seven heavens) and other dairy foods are traditionally
eaten on Shavuot
, and have various symbolic meanings all connected to the giving of the
Torah
on
Mount Sinai
celebrated on this holiday.
[46]
- Etrog
- the yellow
citron
or Citrus medica used during the week-long holiday of Sukkot.
[47]
[48]
- Figs
-
Figs in the Bible
are used prominently as symbols.
- Hamantash
- a triangular pastry filled with fruit, nuts, or seeds (especially poppy seeds) and eaten at the festival of
Purim
, being symbolic of the ears of the defeated enemy.
[49]
- Latkes
-
potato pancakes
, known as
latkes
in
Yiddish
, especially among
Ashkenazi
families, Sephardi,
Polish
and
Israeli
families eat jam-filled
doughnuts
(
pontshkes
),
bimuelos
(fritters) and
sufganiyot
, all of which are
fried
in oil, eaten on
Hanukkah
, to commemorate the miracle of a small flask of oil keeping the flame in the Temple alight for eight days.
- Maror
- a bitter herb eaten at the Passover Seder meant to remind of the bitterness of slavery.
[50]
[51]
- Matzo
- a type of unleavened bread eaten at the Passover Seder (and the following week), symbolically recalling the Jews leaving Egypt in too much haste to allow their bread to rise in the ovens.
[52]
- Wine (kosher)
- for the recitation of
kiddush
at the beginning of
Shabbat
and
Festival
meals, at the
Havdalah
service at the conclusion of the Sabbath, and for the
Seven Blessings
of the wedding ceremony; also used at the
Passover seder
and in some other ceremonial acts, with several glasses of kosher wine required by the
Haggadah
ceremonial.
[53]
Shinto
[
edit
]
Taoism and Chinese Folk Religion
[
edit
]
- Dumpling
- symbolizes wealth because the shape is similar to money-related instruments such as the
tael
(Chinese weight measure) or Chinese ingots (especially the
jau gok
).
[56]
[57]
They are eaten at midnight of
Chinese New Year
.
- Mooncake
- Eaten for Mid-Autumn Festival. Dedicated to the Goddess Chang' E.
- Noodle
- symbolizes longevity,
[56]
usually served in the Chinese New Year’s Eve.
- Peach
- Due to the
Peaches of Immortality
having an association with longevity, peaches are common decorations on pastries in China. In addition, Taoists have historically consumed peaches in elixirs of life in search of immortality.
[58]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Illustration and details at
Good Food Stories
website.
- ^
Reference with picture at
Adventures of the Kitchen
.
- ^
"Minne di Sant'Agata (Sicilian Ricotta and Chocolate Pastries)"
. Food 52
. Retrieved
5 February
2019
.
- ^
Theodore Kyriakou and Charles Campion,
The Real Greek at Home
, London 2004
- ^
a
b
Encyclopædia Britannica, s.v. Eucharist
- ^
History and recipe available
here
.
- ^
Referenced at the
About Food
website.
- ^
See entry at
The Greek Glutton
.
- ^
Discussed at
The Guardian
website.
- ^
Anne Jordan (5 April 2000).
Christianity
.
Nelson Thornes
.
ISBN
9780748753208
. Retrieved
7 April
2012
.
Easter eggs are used as a Christian symbol to represent the empty tomb. The outside of the egg looks dead but inside there is new life, which is going to break out. The Easter egg is a reminder that Jesus will rise from His tomb and bring new life. Orthodox Christians dye boiled eggs red to make
red Easter eggs
that represent the blood of Christ shed for the sins of the world.
- ^
The Guardian, Volume 29
. H. Harbaugh. 1878
. Retrieved
7 April
2012
.
Just so, on that first Easter morning, Jesus came to life and walked out of the tomb, and left it, as it were, an empty shell. Just so, too, when the Christian dies, the body is left in the grave, an empty shell, but the soul takes wings and flies away to be with God. Thus you see that though an egg seems to be as dead as a stone, yet it really has life in it; and also it is like Christ's dead body, which was raised to life again. This is the reason we use eggs on Easter. (In days past some used to color the eggs red, so as to show the kind of death by which Christ died,-a
bloody
death.)
- ^
An account of the soup, and a journey to discover its origins, in published in
New Yorker
magazine.
- ^
Mary Cadogan.
"Galette des Rois"
. BBC Good Food
. Retrieved
9 January
2021
.
- ^
"Galette Des Rois"
. Paul
. Retrieved
9 January
2021
.
- ^
One recipe,
with pictures
.
- ^
St George's Day cakes at
Stork website
.
- ^
Turner, Ina; Taylor, Ina (1999).
Christianity
. Nelson Thornes. p. 50.
ISBN
9780748740871
.
To mark the end of the Lent fast Christians eat hot cross buns. These have a special meaning. The cross in the middle shows how Jesus died. Spices inside remind Christians of the spices put on the body of Jesus. Sweet fruits in the bun show that Christians no longer have to eat plain foods.
- ^
"History of King Cakes"
. New Orleans Showcase.
- ^
Referenced at
Diane Kochilas, Greek food for life
.
- ^
Referenced at
The Guardian
.
- ^
See details at
Spice Roots
website.
- ^
"Lussekatter ma man ha nar man skal feire Luciadagen"
. Aktivioslo.no. 2009-12-01
. Retrieved
2014-02-13
.
- ^
"Luciadag"
. kristendom.dk
. Retrieved
2013-10-15
.
- ^
Randal W. Oulton (2007-05-13).
"Michaelmas Bannock"
. Cooksinfo.com
. Retrieved
2016-03-28
.
- ^
"About (Our Patron)"
. London: St Gabriel, North Acton
. Retrieved
21 May
2020
.
- ^
Shrove Tuesday inspires unique church traditions KATIE WALKER
Archived
2016-02-14 at the
Wayback Machine
7 March 2011
- ^
Joan Halmo
Celebrating the church year with young children
Liturgical Press, 1988
ISBN
978-0-8146-1580-5
. 159 pages. page 43
- ^
Fakes, Dennis R. (1 January 1994).
Exploring Our Lutheran Liturgy
. CSS Publishing. p. 33.
ISBN
9781556735967
.
Since people often gave up meat during Lent, bread became one of the staples of Lent. Bakers even began making dough pretzels--a knotted length of dough that represented a Christian praying, with arms crossed and hands placed on opposite shoulders.
- ^
"une religieuse, un eclair"
. Pretty Tasty Cakes. 2008-08-31
. Retrieved
2012-08-26
.
- ^
See
The Daily Meal
website.
- ^
Story and recipe at the
Armenian Kitchen
website.
- ^
Recipe at
The Daily Meal
website.
- ^
Recipe at
The Armenian Kitchen
website.
- ^
"BBC Religions: Mothering Sunday"
. Retrieved
14 July
2012
.
- ^
Simoons, Frederick J. (1998).
Plants of Life, Plants of Death
.
University of Wisconsin Press
.
ISBN
0-299-15904-3
.
- ^
Hood, Karen Jean Matsko (1 January 2014).
Halloween Delights
. Whispering Pine Press International. p. 33.
ISBN
9781594341816
.
The tradition continued in some areas of northern England as late as the 1930s, with children going from door to door "souling" for cakes or money by singing a song.
- ^
Stollen history
- ^
Swieconka
by Ann Hetzel Gunkel
- ^
Margaret M. Hasluck
, "The Basil-Cake of the Greek New Year",
Folklore
38
:2:143 (June 30, 1927)
JSTOR
- ^
Chef Mandaar Sukhtankar (24 August 2017).
"A modak by any other name"
.
The Hindu
. Retrieved
10 January
2021
.
- ^
Festival reference
and recipe.
- ^
The health benefits and symbolic purposes explained at
Shia Chat
.
- ^
Reference from the
Jakarta Post
.
- ^
Bramen, Lisa.
"Why Honey Is Eaten for Rosh Hashanah, and Other Burning Questions"
.
Smithsonian Magazine
. Retrieved
2022-09-26
.
- ^
"Seder Preparations - Jewish Tradition"
.
yahadut.org
. Retrieved
2024-03-30
.
- ^
Claudia Roden,
The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day
, Penguin Books, 1999, p.32
ISBN
0140466096
- ^
"The Saga of the Citron"
.
Reform Judaism
.
- ^
"In Calabria, rabbis and farmers continue a 2,000-year-old etrog tradition | the Times of Israel"
.
The Times of Israel
.
- ^
"Purim"
.
Jewish Encyclopedia
. Retrieved
7 May
2024
.
In this connection it may be mentioned that for the celebration of Purim there developed among the Jews a special kind of baking. Cakes were shaped into certain forms and were given names having some symbolic bearing on the historical events of Purim. Thus the Jews of Germany eat "Hamantaschen" and "Hamanohren" (in Italy, "orrechi d'Aman"), "Kreppchen," "Kindchen," etc.
- ^
"Seder Preparations - Jewish Tradition"
.
yahadut.org
. Retrieved
2024-03-30
.
- ^
Minchat Chinuch
6:14
u'v'mitzvah
- ^
Bradshaw, Paul F., and Hoffman, Lawrence A.
Passover and Easter: The Symbolic Structuring of Sacred Seasons
. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1999.
- ^
T. Goldberg
"
Picking the perfect Passover wine
"
MSNBC, April 19th, 2004.
- ^
Smyers, Karen Ann (1999).
The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Contemporary Japanese Inari Worship
. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
ISBN
0-8248-2102-5
.
- ^
Itoh, Makiko (30 December 2011).
"Rice takes prized, symbolic yearend form"
.
The Japan Times Online
. Archived from
the original
on 11 April 2016
. Retrieved
16 February
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Ma, Guansheng (2015-12-01).
"Food, eating behavior, and culture in Chinese society"
.
Journal of Ethnic Foods
.
2
(4): 195?199.
doi
:
10.1016/j.jef.2015.11.004
.
ISSN
2352-6181
.
- ^
"The Significance of Dumplings in Chinese Culture"
.
Z & Y Bistro
. 2020-02-25
. Retrieved
2022-04-13
.
- ^
Frederick J. Simoons (1998).
Plants of life, plants of death
. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 268.
ISBN
978-0-299-15904-7
. Retrieved
28 June
2011
.
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