What Did Jesus and the Apostles Eat at the Last Supper?
Apart from unleavened bread and wine that Christians have long established from Scriptures, what other food had been served on Christ's Last Supper? A recent investigation into Palestinian cuisine in Jesus' time showed what could possibly be the menu for one of Christianity's most significant occasions.
In their research, both Generoso Urciuoli, an archaeologist at Italy's Petrie Center, and Marta Berogno, an Egyptologist at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, learned that Jesus and his Disciples did not sit at a rectangular table nor did they line up on one side of the table as shown in most religious art.
"At that time, in Palestine, the food was placed on low tables and the guests ate sitting in reclining position on floor cushions and carpets," Urciuoli said. Moreover, the partakers of the food surrounded the table and were positioned in a manner that the most important guest was seated beside the main guest.
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"Verses from the gospels of John indicate Judas was very close to Jesus, probably to his immediate left. Indeed, we are told that Judas dipped bread into Jesus' dish, following the practice of sharing food from a common bowl," Urciuoli said. This and other lesser known important facts are compiled in their book, "Jerusalem: the Last Supper."
Urciuoli and Berogno used Biblical passages, including the Feast of Tabernacles, the wedding of Cana, and Herod's banquet, to draw their conclusions. They also put together historical data and clues from artwork to reconstruct food and eating habits in Palestine 2,000 years ago, Seeker reported.
From the data collected, they concluded that the Last Supper's menu also included beans stew, olives, bitter herbs, and fish sauce. Based on the Gospel of Mark, the Last Supper took place on the "first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb." This means that the menu likely included lamb meat.
