Transcript chapter4
Food and Religion Chapter 4 Major Religions of the World Western Judaism Christianity Islam Originated in the Middle East Teach concept of one God Eastern Hinduism Buddhism Developed in India Principle goal is liberation of the soul from the bondage of the body Self-described religious affiliation in the United States by percentage— 2008 Practices Vary widely Have been used for thousands of years and reinvented over time Most have areas of questionable guidelines Religion based foods habits are the most variable of the culturally based food habits JUDAISM Judaism Two Sects ◦ Ashkenazi Germany, N. France, E. Europe Hasidic Jews are Ashkenazi Most common in the US ◦ Sephardim Originally Spain America has 3 groups ◦ Orthodox ◦ Conservative ◦ Reform Judaism Dietary Laws: Kashrut Food eaten reflects area of origin Set down in the Torah, explained in the Talmud Kosher: fit Glatt kosher: strictest kosher standards For spiritual health, not physical health 1. Which animals are permitted for food and which are not: All mammals with a completely cloven foot and chews the cud may be eaten and their milk may be consumed ◦ Clean animals include cattle, deer, goats, oxen, sheep ◦ Unclean include swine, rabbits, carnivorous animals Clean birds must have a crop, gizzard, and extra talon and their eggs may be consumed ◦ Ex: Chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys ◦ All birds of prey are unclean 1. Which animals are permitted for food and which are not: Fish: Everything with fins and scales is clean ◦ Smoked salmon: lox Born with scales and then loses them ◦ Unclean include catfish, eels, rays, sharks, and all shellfish ◦ Sturgeon and caviar is disputed All reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates are also unclean 2. Method of slaughtering animals Life must be taken by ritualistic process called shehitah A shohet is trained and licensed to perform the killing ◦ Slits jugular and trachea ◦ Blood is all drained No natural death, road kill, or killed by any other method allowed 3. Examination of the slaughtered animal No blemishes in the meat or organs No disease anywhere If so, rendered trefah ◦ Unfit for consumption 4. Parts of a permitted animal that are forbidden Blood Heleb ◦ Fat not intermingled with flesh ◦ A separate layer that may be encrusted with skin or membrane ◦ Can easily be peeled off ◦ Only against four-footed animals 5. Preparation of the meat Remove heleb, blood, blood vessels, and sciatic nerve Called koshering/kashering ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Soak meat in water Drain Cover with kosher salt to draw out blood Rinse out salt Rinse repeatedly Liver must be cut, rinsed several times and broiled or grilled to grey-white color 6. The law of meat and milk Meat: fleischig Dairy: milchig Cannot eat these together ◦ Eating meat: six hours before eating dairy ◦ Dairy products: one hour before meat Olives are dairy if prepared with lactic acid Rennet from calf must be used for cheeses Separate sets of dishes, pots, utensils, linens, sinks, etc. for meat and dairy ◦ Tevilah: ritual purification of metal or glass pots, dishes and utensils Pareve: Neutral - eggs, fruits, vegetables, and grains 7. Products of forbidden animals Products of unclean animals are forbidden Exception: Honey is fine, bees aren’t ◦ Assumed to not contain any insect parts Where does gelatin come from? Processed pig or beef bones and/or hide ◦ It must be from a clean animal to be Kosher 8. Examination for insects and worms Must be inspected carefully for insects Washed twice Examined before eaten Can get Kosher-produce Kosher products will have insignia or the authority’s name on package Examples of Kosher Food Symbols Religious Holidays: Sabbath: Day of rest ◦ Friday night till after nightfall Saturday ◦ All cooked meals prepared before Friday Challah, cholent, kugel Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year ◦ All foods consumed are symbolic ◦ Round challah Life without end Uninterrupted year of health and happiness ◦ No sour or bitter foods Apples in honey Special sweets and delicacies Religious Holidays Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement Holiest day of the year ◦ 10 days after Rosh Hashanah ◦ Usually in September or October Complete fast day ◦ No food or water ◦ Medications only Meal before fast is bland to prevent thirst Meal to break fast is light Who fasts? EVERYONE except: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Boys under 13 Girls under 12 Persons who are very ill Women in childbirth Sunset to sunset Religious Holidays Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles ◦ Festival of thanksgiving in fall ◦ Much dancing, singing, feasting ◦ Sukkah (hut) built and meals taken there Hanukkah: the Festival of Lights ◦ Commemorates the recapture of the Temple in Jerusalem ◦ 8 nights in December ◦ Candle lit each night ◦ Foods cooked in oil Latkes: potato pancakes Religious Holidays Purim: Joyous celebration in February or March ◦ Feast in honor of deliverance by Queen Esther Dress in disguise Lots of meat and alcohol Symbolic foods ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Hamantaschen Kreplach Purim challah Special fish dish Seeds, beans, and cereals Religious Holidays Passover: 8 Day festival of spring & freedom ◦ Celebrates the Jewish exodus from Egypt All foods must be “Kosher for Passover” Forbidden foods ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Wheat, barley, rye, oats Anything leavened Legumes, corn, millet, mustard Malt liquor, beer Passover: The Seder Meal Festive meal ◦ Chicken soup ◦ Meat or chicken Set with best silverware and china Candles Kosher wine Haggadah ◦ The Seder book Matzot (3 pieces of Matzah) covered separately Seder Plate The Seder Plate Roasted shank bone ◦ Z’roah ◦ Paschal lamb ◦ Haroset ◦ Mortar that built pyramids Roasted egg ◦ Beitzah ◦ Required offering ◦ Mourning for the loss of the Temple in Jerusalem Greens with salt water ◦ Karpas ◦ Meager diet ◦ Tears shed Bitter herbs ◦ Marror ◦ Bitter suffering Apples, nuts, cinnamon, wine Special cup for Elijah Religious Holidays Shavout: Season of giving the Torah Two-day festival 7 weeks after second day of the Passover. Traditional Ashkenazi foods ◦ Blintzes ◦ Kreplach ◦ Knishes Fast Days Several other than Yom Kippur Sunrise to sunset Fasts can be broken Women who are pregnant or nursing are exempt Others to whom it may be hazardous Nutritional Status Jewish people are considered an ethnic group Many are lactose intolerant Genetic predisposition to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) CHRISTIANITY Roman Catholicism Largest number of adherents to one Christian faith in US Immigrated from Germany, Poland, Italy, Ireland, Mexico and the Caribbean French Catholics in Maine and Louisiana Many Filipinos and Vietnamese in the US are Catholic Roman Catholicism Pre-1966 Dietary Laws ◦ Meatless Fridays ◦ Some still adhere Feast Days ◦ Christmas & Easter ◦ Others Holiday food depends on country or origin Roman Catholicism Corpus Christi ◦ Commemoration of the Last Supper Fast Days ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ All the Fridays of Lent Something given up for Lent Fridays of Advent Ember Days Days that begin each season ◦ Ash Wednesday ◦ Good Friday Fasting One full meal at midday Abstinence ◦ No meat ◦ Eggs and dairy ok Older than 14 Younger than 60 Meatless Fridays ◦ Lent, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday ◦ Avoid all foods and liquids one hour before receiving communion Eastern Orthodox Christianity As old as Roman Catholicism Byzantine as opposed to Latin Differences in interpretations of the Bible, governing of the church 14 self-governing churches worldwide ◦ Primarily Eastern Europe US: Greek or Russian Feast Days: Easter Most important feast day Meat Fare Sunday ◦ 3rd Sunday before Lent Cheese Fare Sunday ◦ Sunday before Lent Clean Monday ◦ Lenten fast begins Broken after midnight service on Easter Sunday Easter Eggs ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Red in Greece Ornate in Eastern Symbolic of tomb of Christ Red - mourning Fast Days Numerous Fast Days No food or drink before communion No meat or animal products No fish, but shellfish ok No olive oil, but olives ok Protestantism Martin Luther in 1517 95 Protests on the door at Wittenberg Communion or The Lord’s Supper or Eucharist ◦ Most significant food ordinance ◦ Use wine or grape juice ◦ Bread or wafer Christmas and Easter as feast days ◦ Foods are determined by ethnicity Fasting rare Mormons: Church of the Latter Day Saints Believe God reveals himself and his will through his apostles and prophets. Began in US in early 1800’s Founder Joseph Smith, Jr Utah ◦ 80% Mormon Reorganized Church of the Latter Day Saints ◦ Independence, MO Mormon Laws of Health No alcohol (strong drink) No tea or coffee (hot drink) No caffeine No tobacco Eat meat sparingly Diet based on grains (wheat) Fast one day per month ◦ Donate money saved to the poor Have one year of food and clothing in reserve Seventh Day Adventists Founded in 1863 ◦ From the Millerites ◦ Ellen G Harmon White, leader Belief in Christ’s advent or second coming Human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday Sickness is a violation of the Laws of Health Eat the right foods in moderation ◦ Overeating is discouraged Get enough rest and exercise Diet in Eden did not include flesh foods ◦ Lacto-ovo vegetarianism widely practiced ◦ May eat meat but avoid pork and shellfish No coffee, tea, alcohol, or tobacco Water before or after, never during a meal Avoid highly seasoned meals or condiments Don’t eat between meals Battle Creek, Michigan Home of the Adventist’s Sanitarium Dr. John Kellogg was the director Invented corn flakes as a substitute for meat Loma Linda University Medical Center Adventist health facility Loma Linda Bakery ISLAM Five Pillars of Islam Faith ◦ “There is no God but Allah” Prayer ◦ 5 times daily, facing Mecca Almsgiving ◦ To help the poor or support Islam in other countries Fasting ◦ A religious obligation Pilgrimage to Mecca ◦ Once in a lifetime Sects of Islam Sunni, largest group ◦ Caliphate an elected to be occupied by a member of the tribe of Mohammed Shi’ia, second largest group ◦ Caliphate a Godgiven office for descendants of Mohammed ◦ Shiites primarily in Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and India. Khawarij ◦ Caliph is open to any believer whom the faithful consider fit ◦ Eastern Arabia and North Africa. Sufis ◦ Ascetic mystics who seek a close union with God now ◦ 3% of Muslims, many outside mainstream Islam Islam in the US Most are Sunnis The original “Nation of Islam” in the US ◦ Adherents called “Black Muslims” ◦ Split into two factions: 1. World Community of Al-Islam in the west Accepted as a branch of Islam 2. Nation of Islam Black faction under Louis Farrakhan Islamic Dietary Laws Eating is a matter of worship Survival Good health No overindulgence ◦ Eat 2/3 of capacity Share food Never throw food away, waste it or treat with contempt Wash hands and mouth before and after meals Right hand only for eating Haram: unlawful or prohibited All swine 4-footed animals that catch their prey with their mouths Birds of prey By-products of these animals ◦ Pork gelatin ◦ Enzymes used in cheese making Any questionable by-product is avoided Haram: unlawful or prohibited Improperly slaughtered animals ◦ Slaughter similar to that of Jewish laws ◦ Name of Allah said at the instant of slaughter Fish and seafood are exempt Can eat meat slaughtered by Muslims, Jews, or Christians Cannot eat meat where any name other than God’s mentioned during slaughter Haram: unlawful or prohibited Blood and blood products Alcoholic beverages ◦ Fermented foods Intoxicating drugs ◦ Unless medically necessary Use of stimulants discouraged ◦ Coffee and tea ◦ No smoking Halal: permitted or lawful All food edible unless specifically prohibited Mashbooh: food that is questionable ◦ Encouraged to avoid May consume mashbooh or haram ◦ If food is taken by mistake ◦ When forced by others ◦ Fear of dying by hunger or disease Some may avoid consuming land animals without external ears, such as snakes and lizards Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America Feast Days Eid al-Fitr ◦ Celebrates the end of Ramadan Eid al-Azha ◦ Meat is killed and distributed to the needy in the family or in the community Shab-i-Barat ◦ Fireworks mark this night when God determines the actions of every person for the upcoming year Nau-Roz, New Year’s Day ◦ primarily celebrated by Iranians Maulud n’Nabi ◦ birthday of Mohammad Other Feast Days Births Marriages When a child begins reading the Quranic alphabet ◦ Bismillah Circumcision of boy Harvest Death Fast Month: Ramadan “The gates of Heaven are open, the gates of Hell closed, and the devil put in chains.” No food No drink No smoking No sex Dawn to sunset Fast broken with liquid and an odd number of dates ◦ Often with family and friends Dates change each year – it is a full month Who must fast? All Muslims past puberty (15) If exempt, must make up days before next Ramadan. ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Individuals with a recoverable illness People traveling Women during pregnancy, lactation, or menstruation Elders who are physically unable to fast Insane people Those engaged in hard labor Other fast days encouraged ◦ Women must request permission from their husband to voluntarily fast Never fast excessively or on Fridays THE EASTERN RELIGIONS HINDUISM Goals of Hinduism Become one with the universal spirit or Supreme Being Accomplished over many lifetimes through reincarnation Karma - one’s present life is the result of what one thought or did in one’s past life Goal for all souls is liberation Principles of Hinduism Purity ◦ ceremonial goal and a moral ideal ◦ elaborate rules regarding food & drink Self-control ◦ Governs both flesh and mind ◦ Regulate appetites and cravings Detachment ◦ Highest aspect of self-control Truth Nonviolence ◦ Ahimsa Caste System Idea was to construct an ideal society ranking people by spiritual progress and culture not wealth or power 4 Castes ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Brahmans (teachers/priests) Kshatriyas (soldiers) Vaisyas (merchants/farmers) Sundras (laborers) Dalits (untouchables) ◦ Outside social recognition ◦ Outlawed by government in 1950 ◦ Still exists 3 Sects According to view of the Supreme Being. ◦ Vaishnava (Vishnu) ◦ Saiva (Siva) ◦ Sakta (Sakti) Different sects popular in different regions Do not worship one God exclusively. Hundreds of lesser deities The International Society for Krishna Consciousness ◦ Founded in 1966 by devotees of a sixteenthcentury Bengali ascetic ◦ Largest group in the US Hindu Dietary Practices Avoid foods believed to hamper development of the body or mental abilities Bad food habits prevent reaching mental purity and communion Dietary restrictions and attitudes vary Laws of Manu ◦ “No sin is attached to eating flesh or drinking wine … but abstinence from these bears greater fruits” Dietary Practices Many are vegetarians Cows are sacred and never consumed Often avoid pork No Crabs, snails, crocodiles Numerous birds restricted No fish with ugly form or porpoises No Antelopes and camels No Bats and boars No Garlic, Turnips, Onions, Mushrooms, Red Foods Avoid Alcohol ◦ Some will abstain Avoid foods…. Prepared by certain groups of people ◦ Actors, artists, carpenters, cobblers, doctors, eunuchs, innkeepers, musicians, prostitutes, liars, spies, and thieves That have been contaminated ◦ By a person sneezing ◦ Through contact with a human foot, clothing, animals, or birds ◦ Milk from an animal that has recently given birth ◦ Water from the bottom of a boat Eat fish or meat only after it has been sanctified by the repetition of mantras offering it to the gods Don’t…… Eat too early Eat too late Eat too much May also avoid irritating or exciting foods Honey Taboos are by personal discretion Purity and Pollution Laws Lead to purity of mind and spirit Pollution avoided All products of living cow are pure and purifying Ganges River Water and all other waters pure Turmeric Sandalwood paste All body products are polluting Feast Days 18 major festivals ◦ Wealthy share food with the poor Holi ◦ Spring equinox ◦ Krishna’s triumph Dusshera ◦ Victory of Prince Rama Divali ◦ Darkest night of the year when souls return to earth ◦ The new year Marriages, births and deaths Fast Days Fasting practices vary ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Caste Family Sex Age Degree of orthodoxy No food or Abstaining from specific foods or meals Numerous fast days ◦ Including the anniversary of the death of one’s father and mother and Sundays A lunar calendar so dates change BUDDHISM Basic Teaching of Buddha Four Noble Truths ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Suffering Cause of Suffering Cessation of Suffering Path that leads to the cessation of suffering Noble Eightfold Paths ◦ Right view, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration ◦ Craving extinguished and suffering ends Five Precepts Abstain from taking life Abstain from taking what is not given Abstain from all illegal sexual pleasures Abstain from lying Abstain from consumption of intoxicants because they tend to cloud the mind Practices of Buddhism Nirvana ◦ State of calm insight ◦ Achieved when one perfects Buddha’s teachings Encourage a monastic lifestyle Monks ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Follow a simple life Meditate Own no property Obtain food by begging Are usually vegetarian Eat only at noon Two Schools of Doctrine Theravada (Hinayana) Buddhism ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ India and Southeast Asia Spiritual philosophy and system of ethics No emphasis on deities Goal is to achieve nirvana Mahayana Buddhism ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia. Later form Buddha is eternal and cosmic Dharma – his truth Doctrine, continued Many Buddhas ◦ For some deities ◦ For others demons Followers sometimes promised paradise rather than nirvana In the US ◦ Tantric Buddhism From Tibet ◦ Zen Buddhism Dietary Practices Restrictions depend on sect and country Many are lacto-ovo but some eat fish Others abstain only from beef If they did not personally kill the animal it is ok Fast days are for monks Practices and Festivals vary from one region to another Cultural Controversy: Meat Prohibitions What is the rationale of meat taboos?