Culture and Cuisine Essay

Food is one of many factors that distinguishes one farming from another. It has been utilise for ceremonial purposes, sacrificial rituals, and some nutriment even holds emblematical meaning based on religion. why do people of the Judaic and Muslim faith fill not to eat pork? Why is vino and alcohol often associated with parties and celebrations? The origin of many of nows cuisine and dining traditions can be traced back thousands of years, and often consider a unearthly significance.Religion has influenced peoples food choices and traditions since antediluvian patriarch times, and much of its impact is still prominent in straight offs world. In everyday life, it is easy for anyone to take note of religions presence in food and incompatible types of cuisine. In grocery stores and supermarkets, foods atomic number 18 often labeled as Kosher or Halal and with holidays such as Lent and Ramadan, it is clear that many traditions that began thousands of years ago be still im portant to people in todays society. The veto of pork products within the Jewish and Islamic faith, for example, dates back to antediluvian Egypt.The ancient Egyptians were known for having a strong dislike perhaps even awe of the pig. For this reason, pigs were never depicted in hieroglyphics, even though they were record. Believing that the animals carried parasites and leprosy, it was altogether Egyptians of the lowest social class who were swine herders, and they were banned from entering any temples or places of worship. Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat suggests that is why the pig has become a forbidden food computer address That attitude could be at the root of the Jewish and Muslim prohibition era of pig meat.Moses tell the animal unclean this taboo slowed ware Islamic expansion into China, for the Chinese love pork as much as carp and ducks Today a certain amount of pig meant eaten in Europe, oddly ham, comes from China. (370) This shows how religion has influenced not only what a certain nuance chooses to eat, but also how it has affected trade and migration patterns throughout the worlds development. It is clear that food can hold so much unearthly significance, that it can even prevent two cultures from integrating with each other, as shown by the lack of Islamic presence in China.With various religious beliefs, comes various opinions rough certain foods. Patterns of behavior vary among followers of different religions, resulting from different norms (Heiman, Just, McWilliams, and Zilberman). An example of clashing viewpoints is the difference between Greek, Muslim, and Chinese opinions about wine. The ancient Greeks are some of historys greatest lovers of wine. They used wine for celebrations and believed it to be a drink of the gods as it was made by Dionysus, the god of wine. Alternatively, some Muslims forbade wine. This is near likely because of their fear of its effects, and drunkenness was looked down upon.There was, however, a Musli m mystic by the name of Nabulsi who declared that wine was the drink of prognosticate love. Like Nabulsi, some chose to believe the Chinese proverb that states it is not wine that intoxicates man is the one who becomes intoxicated, because he is wearied (Toussaint-Samat 234). These different views of wine, or alcohol in general, is still evident today as some Muslims choose to drink it while some choose not to. In Christianity, wine is symbolic of the blood of Jesus, and holds significance particularly in the Catholic church for occasions such as communion.Symbolism, perhaps, is the most obvious connection between food and religion it is not the food itself that is sacred or significant, but what it stands for. Michel Desjardins explores how food can be a symbol in different religions and cultures At times, food also snuff it symboliclaimy for example, when prayer before eating express thanks for divine concern, when the Passover meal commemorates mythic stories, or when the Arab ic Muslim and Christian cocoa ritual c every last(predicate)s on the divine. Other times food is offered directly to deities(153)not only does religion affect what some people eat and do not eat, but also the types of meals that are made, the preparation, and the rituals that are paired with the food. Christian traditions involve praying before partaking in a meal, and Jewish customs call for elaborate feasts that are prepared by traditional methods. Another special K use for food is sacrificing or offering certain foods to deities. Buddhists often present rice and or fruits to statues of Buddha a long-standing religious tradition.Religion has greatly impacted the culinary world in the past, as well as today. The compounding of religion and cuisine has proven to be deeply rooted in the history of mankind and the development of different cultures, as people all over the globe still maintain these traditions. Whether one is partaking in wine during communion, preparing Shabbat din ner, setting food before Buddha, or makes a lifelong conclusion not to eat pork, religion has an obvious presence in todays society.Works Cited Desjardins, Michel. Teaching about Religion with Food. Teaching religion and Religion. 3rd ed. Vol. 7. Oxford Blackwell Ltd. , 2004. 153-58. Heiman, Amir, David Just, Bruce McWilliams, and David Zilberman. Religion, Religiosity, Lifestyles and Food Consumption. Ebscohost. Web. . Toussaint-Samat, Maguelonne. A History of Food. Paris Wiley-Blackwell, 1992.