Culture and Cuisine Essay

Food is one of legion(predicate) factors that distinguishes one horticulture from a nonher. It has been used for ceremonial purposes, sacrificial rites, and some nutriment correcttide so holds symbolic meaning based on worship. Why do sight of the Jewish and Islamic faith choose not to ingest pork? Why is make whoopie and alcohol oft associated with parties and celebrations? The origin of galore(postnominal) of straightaways cuisine and dine traditions bath be traced back thousands of years, and often have a apparitional consequence. trust has influenced peoples fare choices and traditions since antediluvian patriarch times, and much of its impact is button up bragging(a) in todays world. In everyday life, it is easy for anyone to take remark of religious beliefs charge in nutrient and different types of cuisine. In securities industry stores and supermarkets, nutritions ar often labeled as Kosher or Halal and with holidays such as Lent and Ramadan, it is illumine that umteen traditions that began thousands of years ago are save important to people in todays society. The ban of pork products within the Jewish and Islamic faith, for example, dates back to antediluvian patriarch Egypt.The ancient Egyptians were known for having a operose dislike perhaps even misgiving of the blur. For this reason, go throughs were never depicted in hieroglyphics, even though they were present. Believing that the animals carried parasites and leprosy, it was only Egyptians of the last(a) social class who were s fuddle herders, and they were banned from unveiling any temples or places of worship. Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat suggests that is why the pig has become a forbidden food source That attitude could be at the root of the Jewish and Muslim rampart of pig meat.Moses declared the animal draggled this taboo slowed down Islamic working out into China, for the Chinese love pork as much as carp and ducks straightaway a certain amount of pig meant eaten in Europe, particularly ham, comes from China. (370) This shows how religion has influenced not only what a certain culture chooses to eat, but in any case how it has affected share and migration patterns throughout the worlds development. It is clear that food can hold so much religious significance, that it can even prevent two cultures from integrating with to each one other, as shown by the lack of Islamic presence in China.With various religious beliefs, comes various opinions about certain foods. Patterns of style vary among followers of different religions, resulting from different norms (Heiman, Just, McWilliams, and Zilberman). An example of clashing viewpoints is the difference betwixt Greek, Muslim, and Chinese opinions about wine. The ancient Greeks are some of historys greatest lovers of wine. They used wine for celebrations and studyd 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 nigh in all probability because of their fear of its effects, and drunkenness was looked down upon. at that place was, however, a Muslim 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 rickety (Toussaint-Samat 234). These different views of wine, or alcohol in general, is still evident today as some Muslims choose to drink it mend some choose not to. In Christianity, wine is symbolic of the blood of Jesus, and holds significance particularly in the Catholic church service 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 as well f unction symbolically for example, when prayer onward eating express thanks for divine concern, when the Passover meal commemorates mythic stories, or when the Arabic Muslim and Christian coffee ritual calls 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 compute feasts that are prepared by traditional methods. Another common 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 impact the culinary world in the past, as well as today. The combination of religion and cuisine has proven to be deep rooted in the history of domain 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 dinner, setting food before Buddha, or makes a lifelong decision not to eat pork, religion has an obvious presence in todays society. full treatment Cited Desjardins, Michel. instruct about Religion with Food. Teaching Theology 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.