In Philistine cities like Ekron, the cultic meal was not divided into starter-main-dessert but into portions shared between the deity and his temple staff. First came the libations (wine and oil poured on the horned altar), then the solid offerings: bread baked that morning, roasted meats, fruits, and honey cakes. What the flame did not consume went to the priests, who ate "before" the god. The rhythm followed the sacrifice, not taste: from sacred liquid to solid, from burnt to sweet.

Ekron (Tel Miqne) was in the 7th century BC the largest olive oil production center in the ancient Near East — over a hundred presses. Oil there was wealth, currency, and sacred matter: it was poured on the altar, drizzled over meats, and kneaded into bread. It perfumes nearly every dish on this table.