Food And Identity In Early Rabbinic Judaism

food and identity in early rabbinic judaism Food often defines societies and even civilizations. Through particular commensality restrictions, groups form distinct identities: those with whom we eat (“Us”) and those with whom we cannot eat (“Them”). This identity is enacted daily, turning the biological need to eat into a culturally significant activity. In this book, Jordan D. Rosenblum explores how food regulations and practices helped to construct the identity of early rabbinic Judaism. Bringing together the scholarship of rabbinics with that of food studies, this volume first examines the historical reality of food production and consumption in Roman-era Palestine. It then explores how early rabbinic food regulations created a distinct Jewish, male, and rabbinic identity. Rosenblum’s work demonstrates how rabbinic food practices constructed an edible identity. Jordan D. Rosenblum is Belzer Assistant Professor of Classical Judaism at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has contributed to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, Jewish Quarterly Review, and the Journal of Jewish Studies. Food and Identity in Early Rabbinic Judaism JORDAN D. ROSENBLUM University of Wisconsin, Madison cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, S˜ao Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, ny 10013-2473, usa www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521195980  c Jordan D. Rosenblum 2010 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2010 Printed in the United States of America A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data Rosenblum, Jordan, 1979– Food and identity in early rabbinic Judaism / Jordan Rosenblum. p. cm. isbn 978-0-521-19598-0 (hardback) 1. Jews – Dietary laws. 2. Jews – Food – History. 3. Jews – Identity. 4. Rabbinical literature – History and criticism. I. Title. bm710.r615 2010 296.7 309015 – dc22 2009047361 isbn 978-0-521-19598-0 Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. For Valerie  Contents Acknowledgments page ix Abbreviations xiii Introduction “The Set Table”: Organization and Structure A Brief Introduction to the Tannaitic Corpus 1 10 13 1 Realia What Did They Eat? How Did They Obtain Their Food? How Did They Prepare Their Food? In What Manner Did They Eat Their Food? Realia: Conclusions 15 17 22 24 30 33