Matzah, Meat, Milk, and Mana

Abstract

Religio-cultural groups endorse an astounding diversity of beliefs and rituals regarding food. The authors theorize that such practices in part originate and persist because they (a) mark in-group membership through the consumption of unique foods and the establishment of common food rituals, (b) signal status through fasting or ingesting certain foods or large quantities of food, and (c) help individuals avoid disease by promoting or prohibiting specific foods that were historically available. Moreover, the authors theorize that these sociofunctional motives are grounded in essentialist beliefs about the discreteness of biological kinds and/or beliefs about unseen spiritual essences, transmitted through food or food preparation. They consider how psychological explanations of religio-cultural food prescriptions and prohibitions may or may not map onto religious explanations. The authors also offer testable hypotheses about where and why certain food practices may originate and persist, and they hope that this analysis is the kind that provides insight into factors that may have shaped a wider range of religio-cultural beliefs and practices.

Is it godly to waste food? How understanding consumers' religion can help reduce consumer food waste

“…Food is sometimes used to convey religious status through lavish feasts (Mennell, 1996) or to signal or promote religious group solidarity (Johnson et al, 2011). For instance, mainstream Christian religious groups often sponsor community gatherings with communal meals (e.g., potlucks, ladies' teas, donuts and coffee following church services) (Sack, 2000).…”

“…In contrast, there may be heightened concerns about the ability to obtain food due to social problems such as social disorder (Jackson et al, 2019), or pathogen prevalence (e.g., quarantines; contaminated food supply). We also investigated the influence of fundamental social motives, suggesting that there are evolutionary reasons (e.g., survival, desire to fit in with the group, kin care, status-seeking) that may drive consumers to take actions to waste or not waste food (Johnson et al, 2011;Kaplan and Hill, 2017).…”

Fundamental social motives and the varieties of religious experience

“…For example, many Jews adhere to complex food regulations (kashrut), as do many Religion, Brain & Behavior 205 Hindus (Appadurai, 1981). Such laws partly function to reinforce group solidarity and keep the group separate from (potentially more powerful) out-groups (Janoff-Bulman & Sheikh, 2006;Johnson, White, Boyd, & Cohen, 2011). Further, the stricter the rules in religious groups, the longer their endurance (Sosis & Alcorta, 2003).…”

Religious delight: a non-functional approach to playful religious experiences

“…It is accurate to say that religionists in every tradition have restrictions concerning food, food preparation, and food consumption. Yet gustatory celebrations, the sharing of tasty meals, and even lavish food displays can also foster social cohesion even when they do not involve the religious group, per se (Johnson et al, 2011;Rozin, 1990). Although gluttony and drunkenness are indeed frowned upon, the enjoyment of food is mostly permitted and certainly enjoyed within the various religious traditions.…”