Asherah at the table

Among the Canaanites and at Ugarit, food was organized around two poles: the domestic altar or sanctuary, where cooked portions (breads, cakes, libations of wine and oil) were placed for the gods, and the marzeaḥ, a banquet confraternity where families and notables gathered to drink, eat lamb, and honor the dead as well as the deities. The daily meal revolved around barley bread, oil, and a few fruits. There was no "starter-main course-dessert": dishes were shared together, the sweetness of honey and dates alongside the saltiness of meat, and every important meal began with a portion given to the gods.

Two treasures of the Levant. Wild honey perfumes the offering cakes kneaded in the goddess's image, while green olive oil is used for kneading, frying, anointing breads, and pouring on the altar as a libation. This honey-oil alliance marks the cuisine of Asherah, the nurturing queen of heaven.