What did Jesus eat?

A compilation of research from various sources

Pomegranates
Honey
Figs
Grapes
Fish
Olives, Olive oil
Bread (both flat bread and yeast)
Vinegar
Lamb, goat, eggs, beef, chicken
Wheat/barley bread
"Legumes" ...Beans/Lentils/Chickpeas
A variety of "greens" and herbs that would be familiar to us today

Sheep and goat's milk to make butter and various kinds of cheese.

They ate lettuce, spinach, beets, kale, radishes, turnips, carrots, artichokes, black cala, leek, onion, garlic, cucumber, watermelon and squash. They also gathered wild herbs or tended herb gardens (which we know we taxed).

They drank wine. It was not fermented for long because they didn't have appropriate vessels for that, so it was probably sweet, and they cut it with water. Water was not clean or sweet in many places so wine helped with that problem.

We know they made a type of beer as well, first brewed by the Egyptians and made with and flavored with all sorts of ingredients. It's important to note that fermented beverages were not just for parties. They were a portable source of 'clean' water, high in calories (an important fact in ancient times), and an efficient way to use grains and fruit that were past their prime.

They made date honey (really a kind of syrup) and wine from the dates.

Fruit was an important part of their diet. Fruit trees archeologists have found from the time of Jesus: pomegranates, peaches, apples, pears, and lots of figs. They also ate nuts, including walnuts, almonds, carob and pistachios.

They did make sweetened desserts with honey or date syrup. They had a lot of cakes and desserts, but didn't eat them all the time.

There was no corn (maize)
There were no potatoes
There were no avocados
There was no chocolate
There were no tomatoes
There were no chili or bell peppers
All these things came from the Americas.

They didn't eat pork
They didn't eat shellfish
They didn't eat animals that had been hunted

From the Life in Bible Times website:

A good and easy to read summary of Life in the Time of Jesus:  homes, occupations, foods, traditions, https://dailylifeinthetimeofje...e-time-of-jesus.html

Food excerpts from the site

• The range of food was much more limited in New Testament times than it is today.
• Seasonal vegetables (e.g. beans, onions, lentils, leeks, cucumbers), flavored with herbs and salt, and bread (made from wheat or barley flour) provided the basis of a staple diet.
• There would also have been fruit (though not the citrus fruits for which Palestine is known today), together with nuts, honey and cheese.
• Fish were plentiful, especially around Galilee, and could be preserved by drying and salting.
• Meat would have been something of a luxury. For the Jews, there were strict regulations about which animals could be eaten and which were regarded as 'unclean'.

Incredible Edible Bible Fun: Making God's Word Memorable With Easy Recipes Children Can Do

by Nanette Goings

This recipe book is often recommended for Sunday School teachers and is available on Amazon

Homes in the Time of Jesus

This pastor's blog has some good descriptions and images. It has been saved as a pdf and attached to the end of this post in case the blog someday goes defunct.

His blog covers home construction, floors, latrines, building materials,
decoration, kitchen, bedding in the time of Jesus -and more.

Here's a video overview of a typical house in the time of Jesus...

A 1st Century Galilean bedroom with access to the roof.

A wealthy person's home with several rooms around a courtyard.

www.nazarethvillage.com has a few educational pages, This historically correct re-creation of Nazareth during the time of Jesus is a major tourist attraction in Israel.

Click to enlarge. Nazareth village in the time of Jesus.

Daily Life in the Time of Jesus (illustrated book)

by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh, 2007

A good resource for teachers and young people. Lots of great illustrations and photos. Available on Amazon.com

The Chosen -- the series about the life of Jesus, has a wealth of "life in the time of Jesus" information and scenes. The producers really strove for authenticity.  Here's our description of it here at Rotation.org with a link to the episode guide.

In season 1, episode 3, "Jesus Loves the Little Children," we see Jesus camping outside of Capernaum. Among other camping behaviors, we see him brushing his teeth and preparing food. We also see him carving utensils with his carpentry tools. The fascinating thing about this episode is that he is discovered by the neighborhood children who come to learn from him. Really nice scenes.

Many of the scenes in season 1 show the village of Capernaum and its surrounding vicinity. While not for young children, some parts of various episodes could easily be excerpted to show various aspects of what things looked like in the time of Jesus.

An illustrated book describing life in the time of Jesus...

I used to own this book but left it at my last church It's really good. I am grateful that the mamaslearningcorner.com web blog had the following photos. Read the blog for their review.

Tip: Use it with a camera-style overhead projector to show its illustrations to groups.

By Miriam Feinberg-Vamosh, still available from various online booksellers.

Age range is variable depending on what you're looking up and showing, or having the kids look up. I've shared images from the book with 1st and 2nd graders, but the text is definitely 4th and up.

What was Normal Life Like in the First Century for Jesus?

This is a very good, fast paced 49 minute documentary of "life in the time of Jesus."  It was shot on location in Israel with good production values. It features many archaeological locations and archaeologists, but is entertaining and insightful.   Good for age 10 and up, youth, and adults, though some sections, like the one about frankincense, would be suitable for younger children (tip: get some frankincense and burn it!). Interestingly, the video has a story thread running through it about Jesus and the money-changers in the Temple.

Highlights include:

• Walking through a 1st Century A.D. home, seeing weaving, carpentry, what they ate, how they cooked
• how they fished, including how they prepared the fish
• all about frankincense, how it was used in worship (a five minute section starting at the 34 min mark)
• about the money changers at the Temple
• mikvahs, ritual cleansing pools, Pool of Siloam
• about priests, a priest's house, which concludes with a scene of Jesus overturning the money-changer's tables at the Temple and what the priests would have thought of that.

This documentary and the series it came from appear to have been produced for Canadian television.