Tasty Bible Stories: A Menu of Tales & Matching Recipes

You probably already know cooking with kids makes good family fun, provides children with a life-skill, and helps teach basic math concepts. And now, with Tasty Bible Stories by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, you can add "learning about the Bible" to the list of good things cooking can do for your kids. In this unique book, an old Testament Bible story is retold in about two pages. A sidebar offers facts about food related to the story, and the following page offers two recipes made with that food. For example, the first story is that of Adam and Eve. Not surprisingly, the food attached to that story is apples (although the author admits we don't really know what sort of fruit was on the Tree of Knowledge, so she includes another popular biblical fruit: figs). A recipe for baked apple and a recipe for figs and sour cream are included. For the story of Noah, grape recipes are included (because Noah planted a vineyard after the flood); for the story of angelic visitors to Sarah and Abraham, we have pita pockets and hummus (possible Bible-time breakfast foods); for Jacob and Esau, stew; for Joseph, pasta (because Egyptians invented pasta...who knew?); for baby Moses, an eggplant omelet and fatoosh bread salad (Egyptian foods); for the story of Passover, matzah brie, cold egg soup, and charoset; for the story of manna, tofu (ha!); for the story of the Jews entering Canan, grape juice and carrots (foods of the land); for Sisera, hot milk with cinnamon; for Ruth, barley and onion; for Queen Esther's feast, Persian rice and kebab; and more. What I Like: This is a fun way to make Bible stories come to life. The author's writing style is fun ("'I have a grape idea!' he [Noah] called out happily one day. 'You mean GREAT idea,' corrected Shem. 'No, I mean GRAPE," insisted Noah. 'I'm going to grow grapes!'") and Katherine Janus Kahn's illustrations are bold and vivid. What I Dislike: Nothing. But parents should know this book is written for Jewish children; therefore, it includes passages like this: "Each year we retell the story of the exodus from Egypt by reading the Haggadah, and we eat matzah, the original fast food...") Also, don't expect the recipes in this book to be accurate to biblical times; they are simply a way to help make certain Bible stories more memorable. Overall Rating: Very good. Kristina Seleshanko Managing Editor Christian Children's Book Review

This book was more for children and their recipes did not follow along with what would have been available during Bible times. The stories were interesting and I did display one of the pictures of Ruth and Boas on my serving table at our social services.

I love this book. I purchased it with the intent of using it for inspiration - I'm writing a Vacation Bible School curriculum for my parish. The recipes are wonderful and they are connected to biblical paraphrases. Most of the recipes are easy to prepare and lend themselves to a group activity. The illustrations are delightful also. The book is from a Jewish perspective. Do not expect Christian scripture references. The stories are all from the Hebrew Scriptures. Of course, those are the stories most Christian kids hear in Sunday School! So, bake an apple pie and re-read the stories of Creation in Genesis. It's fun to meet God at the table.

This is exactly what I was looking for! I am a chef and a Religious Education Director. I get to combine my love for God and my love for cooking and share it with the children!

Although not lengthy, this paperback is a terrific resource for families or religious school teachers. The recipes are easy enough for kids to make largely on their own and are very appealing taste-wise. Adding a food dimension to Bible studies makes the lessons more memorable and interactive. I use it regularly with my class and wish I'd had it when my kids were young!