The Biblist: The Top 10 Strangest Foods in the Bible

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Chefs use edible flowers to add vibrant color, delicate aroma, and unique flavors to dishes, elevating both presentation and taste. The James Beard Society and Michelin recognize such culinary delights as nasturtiums, violas, borage, and squash blossoms. Ever heard of lemongrass and wheatgrass? Some bougie chefs use various types of grass-like plants in dishes, primarily for avant-garde foraging. 

But King Nebuchadenezzar aligned himself with prophecy—not a five-star menu—in Daniel 4:33 and went grazing in the wild field for seven years, where he “ate grass like an ox.” Yummy, Nebby. Seedy foods in the Bible and wildflowers are not sold separately.

Insects are all the craze among the crunchier of saints. Mark Cuban even invested in a cricket brand from Shark Tank. We can thank Mosaic law for that, and those rich-in-protein grasshopper snacks (Leviticus 11:23). But the locust trend never really caught on.

In Biblical times, that was different. Also in the insect menu of Leviticus, locusts were approved. It lasted a while, as seen in John the Baptist’s diet (Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6), but not so much today. That said, John’s side dish was “wild honey,” so maybe there was a nice vinegrette aftertaste.

Some of the bakers on the Food Network make confectionery items into masterpieces in the kitchen. Having a sweet tooth is as old as humanity. Even if it’s healthy (see: quiche), as long as it looks like a “cake,” it’s time to eat! Take King David in 2 Samuel 6:19 and 1 Chronicles 16:3.  He doled out these nouveau pastries as a treat during a national celebration.

In 1 Samuel 30:11-13, the trend caught on and probably made into a Starbucks model as they morphed into snacks. Unfortunately, Hosea 3:1 shows they were linked to idolatry, so that was that. David could have been the first Betty Crocker, but 300 years later, Satan screwed that up, too.

The economy causes many people to look for work: kids, seniors, ravens… uh, what? In 1 Kings 17:1-6, God commands Elijah to hide by the Kerith Brook to escape the wrath of King Ahab and Jezebel following his prophecy of famine. Well, famine came, and Elijah was incognito and starving. God is faithful and committed to feeding his man on the street.

However, God being God, He needed a flex to show non-believers who He was—so ravens became his servers. Ravens! It’s not like birds were being trained to say, “Can I take your order, please?” But God sent the birds, ironically considered unclean by the aforementioned Mosaic Law, to deliver clean food. All in a day’s work.

In other flex news, God once decided that He didn’t even need ravens to serve foods in the Bible. The Lord would just let it rain and do it Himself. Exodus 16:35 shares the story of the Israelites surviving for 40 years from this miraculous lo-cal feast that became known as “grain of heaven” (Psalms 78:24), “bread of heaven” (Psalms 105:40), and “bread of angels” (John 6:31). Every morning when the Israelites were searching for breakfast in the desert, it starts raining bread.

From myth to legend to a parable that would last forever. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” (John 6:49-50, ESV). Sounds like a miracle to me.

You read that correctly. This wasn’t any ordinary smell, like day-old garbage, spoiled milk, or the socks of most teenage boys. In Ezekiel 4:10-17, God commanded the prophet Ezekiel to bake bread over a hot fire and a steaming pile of poop. The idea was visual symbolism to show the Gentiles how they would be forced to eat defiled food because of their disobedience.

Ezekiel, never bashful from a confrontation, told God that he had never defiled himself, so he refused to bake over his own mess, so the compromise was cow dung. Yeah, because that makes a sandwich go down smoother.

In the ancient Valley of Eshcol, near Hebron along the southern West Bank today, Moses sent 12 spies to explore the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:23). It was Mission Impossible, Bible Style, as they went to survey the land for counterintelligence. How rich was the land? How many people were there? And…oh, we need some of those!

“When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also brought back samples of the pomegranates and figs.” One cluster, two men to carry it?! Did Godzilla and King Kong fancy those grapes?

This isn’t like the Lord asked Ezekiel to eat a diary. Ancient papyrus scrolls (thick bark and tree sap) were 20 sheets of writing canvas, resulting in a typical length of 20-33 feet, 9-16 inches high, and 10 inches wide.