Chapter 6
MEAT AND DAIRY
As noted previously, the ancient Hebrews were vegetarians mainly out of necessity
and not by choice. One reason for this was logistic. There is an awful lot of meat
in a cow, and since there was no practical way to preserve it, beef was usually reserved
for holiday feasts or receptions when enough people would be present to polish off
a whole carcass.
Size may also have had something to do with the Hebrew partiality for veal-- the "fatted
calf" mentioned on several occasions (eg: Genesis 18: 7; 1 Samuel 28: 24; Amos 6:
4; Luke 15: 25-32). A calf represented a smaller, more manageable amount of meat
to consume without waste. Goats were also sometimes eaten, as noted in the story of Jacob
and Esau, and lamb was a fairly common meal since it was the preferred sacrificial
offering.
Temple priests received the right thigh, a choice cut, from each sacrifice. This portion
could be eaten by the priests themselves, and shared with their families provided
it was consumed within two days (Leviticus 7: 28-29). Unfortunately, the priests
ate so much red meat that their health apparently suffered--a common circumstance in
our modern Western meat-eating culture-- but rare in those days. A special temple
doctor was assigned to treat these diet-induced ailments.4
Sheep and calves were usually slaughtered for the table only when the household was
entertaining guests. The broad-tailed sheep, a popular species in Biblical Palestine,
was highly valued for the fat content of its massive tail. The Hebrews thought well
enough of sheep to name their daughters after them; Rachael means "a ewe." Lamb was
of course part of the Passover meal, and would have been included in Jesus's Last
Supper.
While meat was eaten sparingly in ancient Palestine, at least by regular folk, dairy
products were widely consumed. Camels (Genesis 32: 15), sheep (Deuteronomy 32: 14;
1 Corinthians 9: 7), and goats (Proverbs 27: 27) were all milked. Goats were reared
principally for their milk, which was preferred to that of any other animal. Cows were
milked on a limited basis, but goats and sheep were the most important dairy livestock.
The Hebrews made butter from milk (Proverbs 30: 33), and something called leben--a
sort of runny yogurt--prepared in leather bags from the milk of goats or camels.
Curds and cheese were also popular dairy foods. Many modern scholars believe that
"curds" is a more accurate translation than "butter," even when the latter has been traditionally
cited in English language versions of the Bible. Cheese is mentioned at least three
times in the Bible (2 Samuel 17: 29; 1 Samuel 17: 18; and Job 10:10).
As in most traditional cultures to this day, the Hebrews didn't customarily drink
milk as a liquid after infancy (cf: 1 Corinthians 3: 2; Hebrews 5: 12-13; 1 Peter
2: 2)
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