ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ancient Israelite cuisine

Ancient Israelite cuisine refers to the types of foods that people ate a long time ago when they lived in the region that's now Israel. This food had a lot of restrictions and rules because they followed a religion called Judaism. The followers of Judaism believed that certain foods were allowed, and others were not.

One of the most common foods in ancient Israelite cuisine was bread. Bread was made by grinding grains into flour, mixing it with water, and then baking it. Sometimes they added things like honey or dried fruit for flavor. They also ate a lot of vegetables like olives, grapes, figs, and pomegranates. They would press the olives to make olive oil, and they would use grapes to make wine.

Ancient Israelites also ate a lot of meat, like lamb, beef, and chicken. However, it was important that the meat was prepared in a specific way because they had to follow rules about how the animal had to be killed, prepared and cooked. For example, they couldn't eat meat from animals that had died on their own or that had been killed by other animals.

Another popular food was fish. They would catch fish in the nearby seas or rivers and either cook them or dry them out. They also made a lot of soups and stews, which they would sometimes use to dip their bread in.

Overall, the ancient Israelite cuisine was very simple but with a lot of flavor. They had to stick to specific foods, but they made the most of what they had by creating delicious dishes that are still popular today.