Osiris at the table

In ancient Egypt, meals were not served in successive courses: a funerary offering table, the *hotep*, was set before the statue or mummy of the god and the deceased. The formula *hotep di nesu* (an offering which the king gives) symbolically activated conical loaves, beer jars, poultry, vegetables, fruits, and cakes arranged together. Everything was presented at once, abundant and piled high, so that the *ka* (vital force) of Osiris and the dead could feed on it. Bread and beer formed the invariable foundation; festive meat, everyday vegetables, and preserved sweets completed the altar.

The bread-beer pairing of emmer and barley is the soul of every Egyptian offering. The grain that is sprouted, dies under the millstone, and is reborn as leavened bread is the very emblem of Osiris: the Egyptians planted 'Gardens of Osiris,' molds of silt sown with barley that were watered to turn green, an image of his resurrection.