In the Kingdom of Judah in the 7th century BCE, the meal is not divided into starter-main-dessert: everything revolves around bread (lehem), the foundation of the meal, which is broken by hand and used as a spoon for dipping. Poor rye bread sits alongside, at the royal table, roasted lamb, legumes, dried fruits, and wine mixed with water. Set apart are ritual foods—cakes and libations placed before the palace statuettes—which are not eaten as ordinary dishes but accompany the gestures of worship.

Judean olive oil, poured over bread or into cakes, is the common thread of this royal table: it anoints daily bread, it oils offerings, it perfumes the lamb. Along with it, honey and pomegranate define the taste of Judah.