Food, in all its forms and manifestations, has always been a fundamental component of any religion and our understanding of them through the medium of religious texts. Each of these texts and their unique ways of portraying food and nutrition give us an insight into the religion’s values, beliefs, and the perdurable messages that they aim to impart, which we can find and interpret individually by exploring the role of food in the texts that feature it (or at least the relatively more widespread ones, such as the Holy Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Qur’an respectively) that have been passed down through generations.
The words ‘food’ and ‘eating’ are mentioned close to two hundred times in the Holy Bible. And all of these feature in its different stories; ranging from the well-known ‘forbidden fruit’ from the tale of Adam & Eve to shorter verses interspersed along the rest of the text. The Biblical verse for the story of the forbidden fruit (or the apple as we now know it) states;
“But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
What does this forbidden fruit truly symbolise? After reading the ideas of evolutionary psychologists, anthropologists, and independently religious individuals, I have two plausible interpretations of this - the interlinking ideas that the fruit is a representation of self-consciousness and realisation of being, and that the fruit is an embodiment of sin itself. The first, simpler idea, suggests that eating the fruit does indeed give Adam and Eve the knowledge of good and evil, and their own capacity for it, just as the serpent (the embodiment of Satan) foretells. Before consuming this fruit, they have been blissfully unaware of the ‘evil’ that exists in the world; the hardships and the awareness of their own human fragility since they have never known another reality. After they have tasted the fruit, they come to gain the awareness of their ability to sin; their own capacity for destruction and violence. By eating the fruit they were explicitly forbidden from eating by God himself, Adam and Eve are bringing his intentions and instruction into question, which is the greatest sin, according to Catholic theology. The gravest of sins - deliberately turning away from God and the knowledge he shares, thus destroying the love and charity he gives, is committed by Adam and Eve, and the consequence of their actions is the cognizance of their ability to feel and inflict pain, and the edenic paradise they have been living in is lost.
Another verse, further along in the Bible, reads “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever”. This occurs in a moment where Jesus is speaking to an enormous crowd of people that seem to be both physically and spiritually hungry. Following this, Jesus takes the bread of the people and miraculously multiplies it so that everyone may eat and sustain their bodies. Here, it seems to be that the bread has both a literal and a figurative meaning. On a literal level, Jesus seems to prove his claim of ‘[coming] down from heaven’ to create bread for the gathering of people. Jesus appears to be comparing himself, or rather the spiritual satisfaction he can provide people with, to the bread - something that is necessary for the sustenance of individuals. He seems to be conveying the idea that his presence can satisfy the people’s material and spiritual desires; that the people that will ‘eat of his bread’ and voluntarily accept him as their leader will get to live forever, or experience incomparable fulfilment. These particular examples, as well as many other stories of food in the Bible, contain the recurring theme of devotion: how devotion to Christ can offer a wealth of rewards and enrichment, but how rejection of his word, which represents your lack of devotion, leads to separation from God, - a lifetime of sin and pain and vulnerability.
The Bhagavad Gita’s teachings about food and nutrition play a large role in the world’s current understanding of nutritional science and healthy lifestyles, particularly within the context of Indian diets, and thus, the knowledge about food shared in the Gita differs greatly from that of the Bible, in that it can be considered as a collection of dietary laws more than lessons. Many ongoing practices and conventions in India, such as the norm of vegetarianism and even the legislature (i.e. the ban on beef) originate from the tales of the Gita, and the understanding that cows are considered sacred creatures and a divine symbol of motherhood.
One example of these tales is the ‘Origin of Onions and Garlic’ about a Brahmana (a purported messenger of god) who once had the urge to consume the cow he was using for his religious rituals. After the ritual, wherein the cow was sacrificed, the Brahmana stole the ankle of the cow and buried it in the forest to be able to eat it during the night without punishment or judgement. When he returned to it, however, the cow hoof had turned into an onion and its flesh had become pieces of garlic; the different layers peeling like that of a cow’s skin. And the smell of the onion, or the cow’s carcass, brought him pain and tears to his eyes. This story is alongside many pieces of advice and wisdom from multiple deities, spread throughout the Gita as a way of urging people to avoid onions and garlic as they encourage humans to act as ‘demons’ - wild, irrational, and hot-blooded; all characteristics that go against the virtues of a ‘good’ Hindu. This, combined with the forbidden and shameful desire to eat the sacred cow, forms a cautionary tale that has appeared to be successful. While the knowledge imparted may be fairly simplistic, it has definitely achieved its desired effect. In Jainism, my own religion, which is a branch of Hinduism that is followed by over six million individuals, onions, garlic, and all other root vegetables are prohibited. Similarly, the writing regarding what foods should be consumed is also practical for the most part - throughout the Gita, Sri Krishna, who speaks with complete spiritual authority, states that “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.” This message from the Lord himself encourages a vegetarian, plant-based, ‘Sattvic’ diet, which is intensified by the number of times that Lord Krishna is pronounced to be a model of health, fitness and energy.
When thinking about the religion of Islam in relation to food, the first link that comes to mind is the holy month of Ramadan leading up to the Eid al-Fitr every year. This period of fasting and prayer was when God actually revealed to Prophet Muhammed the Quran as ‘a guidance for the people’. Ramadan is a time for introspection, self-discipline, and developing closer connections with Allah and the people in your community. In chapter 2 of the Holy text, it is stated that ‘Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was for those before you - so perhaps you will become mindful of Allah.’ And Ramadan culminated in a feast on the day of Eid, to reward people for their efforts and their sacrifice for Allah. A key word in this text that I found to be significant is the word ‘prescribe’, which simply demonstrates how autonomy and freedom is given to the people, and no law or rule, at least when it comes to food and nutrition, is forced upon the individual - the decision and perhaps the responsibility to be faithful to Allah is left upon the shoulders of the individual, which is a recurring theme I noticed throughout the Quran and the knowledge about food that it features, along with the strong sense of community and sharing of meals.
For instance, another ayah (verse) in Volume 7 of the Quran reads "The food for two persons is sufficient for three, and the food of three persons is sufficient for four persons.” And while this is generally interpreted as encouragement of control and discipline in your diet, I took this as a subtle encouragement to share with those around you; to allow others to enjoy the fulfilment of nutritious food and company. Both of these ayahs have had a large impact on Islamic practices today, with the sacrifices people make during Ramadan to feel closer to Allah and their own communities to be able to enjoy the reward of feasting and sharing food with their loved ones.
The Holy Bible and its stories of food seem to use it to make a connection between God and the individual, often through the virtue of devotion. The Bhagavad Gita seems to convey straightforward, practical ideas about food, illustrated through different stories as well as pieces of advice shared, to explore the relationship between an individual and their own inner peace and sense of wellbeing. The Quran places an emphasis on the idea of community (relationships with other individuals), and how food can establish and strengthen them. All of these religious texts, though there may be few in this article and their analysis admittedly somewhat limited, have very unique and compelling outlooks towards the concept of food and eating, with long lasting messages and wisdom to impart, despite the differences in these messages.
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