Taste and See

by Margaret Feinberg

you guessed it—bread: Judges 7:13; Ruth 2:14.

  delicious provision: Exodus 9:18 CSB; 16:4.

  “[presence] of the LORD”: Exodus 16:6–7.

  “among so many”: John 6:9.

  food of peasants: John 6:9, 15.

  “broken pieces”: Matthew 14:20.

  “this is my body”: John 6:35; Matthew 6:11; Matthew 26:26.

  “will live forever”: John 6:51.

  Chapter 5: A Dash of Sea Salt

  cease to beat: “Take It with a Grain of Salt,” Harvard Heart Letter, November 2006. Salt consumption around the world varies widely. A teaspoon of salt contains 2,300 mg of sodium. According to Harvard research, the Yanomamo people of the Amazon rainforest live on just 200 mg of sodium a day, the average American consumes 3,400 mg a day, and those in northern Japan consume 26,000 mg of salt each day.

  salt-producing empires: Mark Kurlansky, Salt: A World History (New York: Penguin, 2002), 38.

  the word “salary”: https://www.seasalt.com/history-of-salt. By the Middle Ages, those who sat near the host were “above the salt” and those seated further away were “below the salt.”

  sustain its troops: Multiple battles were fought over Saltville, Virginia. During the Second Battle of Saltville on December 20–21, 1864, the Union army succeeded in destroying the saltworks and cutting off salt access to the Confederates.

  poor of India: Staff article, “A Brief History of Salt, Time Magazine, March 15, 1982.

  human consumption: The Great Salt Lake is a geological wonder worthy of your next visit to Utah. Antelope Island State Park offers a visitor center, and Bridge Bay has a swimming beach. The summer gets wildly hot, so be prepared. The water allows you to float without effort. But you’ll definitely want to pack some good soap and a towel for a shower afterward. And while you’re packing, make sure your car is full of fuel, and take some cool beverages and snacks. For a fascinating look at how the Great Salt Lake differs from the Dead Sea, listen to: https://www.npr.org/2013/04/26/179224937/great-salt-lake-is-no-dead-sea.

  from the mine: Neal went to great lengths to secure permission for the tour since the public isn’t allowed in the mines.

  ego once dwelled: “Awe, the Small Self, and Prosocial Behavior,” Paul Piff, Pia Dietze, Matthew Feinberg, Daniel Stancato, and Dacher Keltner, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published online May 18, 2015.

  sweet flavor: Himalayan salt, the closest comparison to Redmond salt, has only become popular in the United States over the last two decades. Neal hopes consumers will realize the benefits of salt mined with their natural minerals.

  in our kitchen: Neal shared that if you ever find yourself in a pickle over salt or you’re simply using salt to make pickles, simply call 1–800-FOR-SALT for advice. You can find an incredible array of Redmond Salt Mine products under the Real Salt label.

  sodium chloride: Genesis 19:26.

  “no one lives”: Jeremiah 17:6.

  water is no more: 2 Kings 2:21; Judges 9:45. And who can forget a fellow salt aficionado, Job, who asks, “Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt?” to describe the depths of his grief (Job 6:6 ESV).

  new way forward: The tossing of salt on the land is also a war technique to prevent the growth of future food as well as delineate from the past.

  growth of bacteria: Ezekiel 16:4. This practice is not recommended today because too much salt can injure an infant.

  and sodium too: Exodus 30:34–35.

  call to worship: Leviticus 2:13.

  woody aromas: Sara Kinonen, “8 Salt-Infused Fragrances That Will Inspire a Beach Getaway,” Allure, May 18, 2017.

  “before the LORD”: Numbers 18:19 ESV.

  “salt of the earth”: Matthew 5:13.

  “trampled underfoot”: Matthew 5:13.

  as an influencer: If you’re cooking and the lid falls off your shaker, you can overpower the strong salinity in different ways. Adding an acid like fresh lemon juice or vinegar will lessen the influence of salt by adding a strong, new flavor. If you’ve dumped excess salt on a slab of meat, place the meat in water and the water will overcome the salt by leeching it out of the meat. If you’ve just added a little extra salt, consider adding a potato which will also reduce saltiness.

  “it is thrown out”: Luke 14:34–35.

  need it too: One surprising discovery is that following 21st-century tsunamis that struck several countries in Southeast Asia, some farmers experienced bumper crops after the seawater receded. “Tsunami boosts rice yields, agriculture in Aceh province,” Associated Press, September 26, 2005. https://news.mongabay.com/2005/09/tsunami-boosts-rice-yields-agriculture-in-aceh-province/.

  fresh, new life: Anthony B. Bradley, Christianity Today, September 23, 2016.

  the word “salvation”: A Latin speaker in the first century might have thought of this, but it’s worth noting that in the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, the words for “salt” and”salvation” bear no relationship to each other.

  of the earth: The Talmud, meaning “study” or “learning,” is a collection of writings that cover Jewish law, tradition, and custom. This work was compiled between the third and sixth centuries AD.

  Chapter 6: A Bowl of Delectable Olives

  community flabbergasted: 2 Kings 4.

  down for the season: Historically, farmers left the olives on the higher branches until Easter as one of the few foods that carried families through the long winters.

  “previous generations”: Proverbs 22:28 NLT.

  to become tasty: Some people will eat dried olives straight from the tree.

  slate-gray the next: Mort Rosenblum, Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit (New York: North Point, 1996), 195.

  “drive you mad”: Rosenblum, Olives, 7–18.

  steeped in oil: Oblicas are some of the most common olives harvested in Croatia.

  his deep peace, too: Genesis 8:6–12. God extends the olive branch and communicates his promise to save and heal those who are at war with him. God reconciles himself to humanity and humanity to one another. In Noah he establishes his people, specifically through his son Shem, and also brings peace between humanity and creation as the waters subside and they thrive in the newly washed earth. All point to God’s ultimate peace bought in Christ’s sacrifice and established in his return.

  into the manna: Numbers 11:8.

  pomegranates and olive groves: Deuteronomy 8:8.

  “in fruit and form”: Jeremiah 11:16 NASB.

  strong olive trees: Psalm 52:8.

  the trees’ roots: Psalm 128:3.

  “pure olive oil”: Hosea 14:6 and Psalm 128:3.

  from slavery to freedom: Exodus 25:8, 31–40; Exodus 27:20. One of the most stunning and detailed descriptions of an ancient oil lamp came from the golden luminary with seven branches that were ever lit in the second temple of Jerusalem.

  healing to the land: Exodus 29:7.

  liquid gold: 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13.

  supply of oil: 1 Chronicles 27:28.

  wave offerings: Leviticus 14:21, 24.

  overlaid with gold: 1 Kings 8:7.

  olivewood into the doors: 1 Kings 6:31–32.

  one in abundance: Isaiah 11:1–2. Jesse is the father of David, and Jesus is born from the line of David.

  olive oil as their base: Esther 2:12.

  more than skin deep: Psalm 92:10; 45:7; 104:15.

  pain reliever ibuprofen: “Olive Leaf,” Alternative Medicine Review, March 2009, 62–65.

  antioxidant properties: Barbara Barbaro, Gabriele Toietta, Roberta Maggio, Mario Arciello, Mirko Tarocchi, Andrea Galli, and Clara Balsano, “Effects of the Olive-Derived Polyphenol Oleuropein on Human Health,” International Journal of Molecular Science, October 2014, 15(10): 18508–24.

  “pretty good health”: Jane Fonda, Prime Time (New York: Random House, 2011), 137.

  “olive heals, you know”: Though it never appears in Scripture, one of the lesser-known healing properties of olive oil is its use as a laxative. In some countri
es today, like Trinidad and Lithuania, you’ll find bottles of olive oil in drugstores right next to Ex-Lax.

  taste like cigarettes: Oil is so perceptive that if shipped aboard a vessel with petroleum, users will taste the gasoline.

  vulnerable and fragile: J. E. Holoubek, A. B. Holoubek, “Blood, Sweat and Fear: A Classification of Hematidrosis,” Journal of Medicine, 27 (3–4): 115–33.

  Jesus petitions: Luke 22:42.

  they slather are healed: Mark 6:13.

  our ailments, as well: Some scholars note that the Hebrew word for oil, meshha, points to the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity as expressed using the terms Anointer, mashoha; Anointed, mshiha; and Anointment, meshha. That suggests God is the Anointer, Christ is the Anointed One, and the Spirit is the Anointment. See Dudley Martin and Geoffrey Rowell, eds., The Oil of Gladness: Anointing in the Christian Tradition (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1993), 26–33.

  oil and pray: James 5:14.

  you are my praise. Amen.: The first part of the prayer is the Jewish blessing said before eating fruit, and the second part of the prayer is Jeremiah 17:14.

  Chapter 7: A Flame-Grilled Lamb Chop

  prone to more illness: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/31/magazine/power-steer.html.

  horses are not permitted: Leviticus 11.

  pagans like the Philistines: The area where the Philistines lived is famed for its pork production. Even today, you could go and eat at an orthodox Jewish friend’s house, but they could not come and eat at yours.

  “that’s USDA”: See Leviticus 11:1–8. The Bible affirms that “the life is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). So removing the blood shows a respect for the life God created and acknowledges God’s created order. Not eating food with blood is the one food restriction that is placed on Noah and his descendants (Genesis 9:3–24) and one of the only two food restrictions that the infant church kept intact (Acts 15:29), at least when ministering to the Jews.

  unnecessary suffering: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1946/b833f1c6b19e4ea3891c809dc18c9b7d3df4.pdf.

  “attention to your herds”: Proverbs 27:23 (ESV), 24–27.

  “cruel to one another”: Randall Lockwood and Frank R. Ascione, Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence (West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 1998). This incredible volume provides startling correlations between animal cruelty and human cruelty. Thank you to the American Humane Society for raising awareness of this important issue.

  processing animals: I highly recommend the film about her life titled, Temple Grandin.

  toughening meat: “Sometimes people say their steak is bloody, but that is just water and platelets,” Matt explained. “If an animal is butchered and the blood isn’t drained, then it coagulates in the flesh. Blood is jelly, and few people want to eat gelatinous meat.” It’s worth noting that draining the blood removes blood-related diseases.

  illustrate their wealth: Genesis 12:16; Job 1:3.

  a thousand hills: Psalm 50:10.

  “daughter to him”: 2 Samuel 12:2–4.

  celebrate with his friends: Luke 15:23–29.

  already been killed: Luke 14:15–24.

  first animal sacrifice: Genesis 3:21.

  likely involved sheep: Genesis 4:2–4; 8:20; 13:18; 26:25; 33:20; 35:7.

  priests and the offerer: Leviticus 1–7. https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/sacrifice-in-ancient-israel.

  weeklong feast: 2 Chronicles 7:4–10.

  seventy-five sheep: Some scholars point to the perfectly round numbers and suggest these figures represent Jewish hyperbole. The numbers in the lamb industry today are found at www.americanlamb.com/lamb-101/american-lamb-industry/.

  one-year-old and unblemished: Numbers 29:36.

  neither resist nor protest: Isaiah 53:7.

  “sin of the world”: John 1:29 ESV.

  near the Passover: John 2:13. Jesus leans into this vulnerability motif when he compares sending his disciples out like a flock of lambs into a wolf pack. Also see Luke 10:3.

  cleansing blood of Christ: Hebrews 9:13–14.

  God’s Lamb: Leland Ryken, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 56.

  Temple and Offering: Revelation 7:17; 14:1–4; 21:22–23.

  “pleasing aroma”: Genesis 7:23; 8:21.

  flood the earth again: Genesis 9:11.

  “The Lord Will Provide”: Genesis 22:1–14.

  old geezer: Idea for this sparked and adapted from Barbara Brown Taylor, Gospel Medicine (Lanham, MD: Cowley Publications, 1995), 60–62.

  “empathy for victims”: Philip Yancey, “Why I Can Feel Your Pain,” Christianity Today, February 8, 1999.

  alleviating it: Hebrews 4:14–5:10; 9:23–10:25.

  Chapter 8: The Perfect Finish

  Egyptian slavery: The customs used to celebrate the Passover were under Sephardi rules; Ashkenazi has different customs.

  shank bone: The shank bone commemorates the Passover sacrifice offered at the temple in Jerusalem before the Romans destroyed it in AD 70.

  Jews from slavery: Psalm 136:12.

  during temple times: The egg, like the other foods, has multiple interpretations. It also symbolizes the triumph of life over death.

  impoverishing their own parents: Matthew 15:1–6.

  chocolate ganache cheesecake: The cheesecake, a nondairy recipe as Jews are not allowed to have milk after meat, was one of the most incredible I’ve ever eaten.

  Free Gifts

  I am so delighted that we have the opportunity to Taste and See God’s goodness together. In appreciation and celebration, I’ve put together some free gifts for you—including fun party invitations, posters, recipe cards, and bonus recipes. I’d love to send these to you for your surprise and delight. Simply email us at:

  hello@margaretfeinberg.com