ABSTRACT
The chapter examines the profound personal relationship that humans have with food. Besides providing physical sustenance, there is an abundance of evidence that one looks to food to satisfy other needs. There are specific religious laws, followed by millions of people for centuries, that concern food restrictions, consumption, production and cultivation, preparation, animal care and slaughter, fasting, feasts, and prayer. Many human emotions and behaviors are intrinsically linked to food. Eating symbolic food is a ceremoniously spiritual experience, and the use of food items as metaphors for life is commonplace in our vernacular. Faith synthesizes matters of religion, individuality, and spirituality. The importance of food on our psyche is timeless and contemporary, holistic and ever modulating, and is affected by governance and secularity. The chapter intends only to highlight key areas of this complicated subject matter.
