The edible foods of the Bible are similar to the kosher diet.
The popularity of the Bible Diet has many people wondering what the good book considers edible. The Old Testament lays out ground rules on food consumption, claiming that some meats are "unclean" and not to be touched. These texts also lay out the diet the Israelites adhered to before and after Christianity came into the picture. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Trees Yielding Seed
Jesus mentioned the mulberry tree in Luke 17:6.
In the Garden of Eden, the trees that were grown there all bore fruit yielding seed. Genesis 1:29 of the New International Version of the Bible says, "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They shall be your food.' " These trees included fig, date, olive, pomegranate, apple, and even nuts like almond and pistachio.
Plants Yielding Seed
Wheat is among the plants mentioned in the Bible.
Genesis also mentions seed-bearing plants being placed on the planet specifically for food consumption. Beans and lentils are mentioned several times in the books to follow, as are barley, millet, spelt and grapes. Wine, to some extent, is an extension of this category since grapes are the main ingredient. Though most plants yield some sort of seed, this group refers to the majority that grow above ground on bushes, vines and other plants.
Field Plants and Spices
Mint is also mentioned in Luke.
Field plants are the other side of the edible foliage the Bible includes. Bibible considers plants like garlic, onion and other underground root vegetables completely edible. The Bible mentions the gathering and consumption of bitter, salt and garden herbs with rue being specifically mentioned in Luke 11:42. Probably the most well known spice in the Good Book is the mustard seed, mentioned four times in the Gospels four times as well as the parables of the mustard seed and yeast.
Clean Meat
Jointed-leg insects like grasshoppers are considered clean to eat.
Leviticus 11 says the animals that chew cud and have cloven hooves are clean to eat. This includes animals like cattle, goats, sheep and deer. Animals that have cloven hooves but do not chew cud, like pigs, are considered unclean and not to be handled. It is okay to eat fish that have both scales and fins, but they have to have both to be considered clean. Non-predatory birds, like chickens and quails, are fine to eat.
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