TRADITIONAL FEAST TRANSPORTS GUESTS TO BIBLICAL TIMES

Fifty-six guests sat at the tables ready for the food. They started by eating humus and rolled grape leaves with raisins and walnuts. Then came the leeks with olive oil, vinegar and mustard seed as well as the tabbouleh and bread. All the while, a harp and other stringed instruments entertained and soothed.

Grilled lamb followed, as did barley beef and onion pottage, fennel with barley, and three-bean pottage with wheat berries. The evening was topped off with honey cake, sesame-stuffed dates, and dried fruit compote. The guests were full, satisfied with such a fine meal that would date back to the times of the Bible.

But this meal didn't take place in Biblical times. This feast happened Saturday night at the First Christian Church in Cape Girardeau to raise money for a youth work trip coming up in June.

"All the food is food that would have been eaten in Biblical times, from both the Old and New Testaments," said Stephanie Curran, associate minister at the church. "Of course, they probably would've used wine instead of sparkling grape juice." She also pointed out that utensils wouldn't have been used back then, either.

At each place-setting, diners saw the menu with the foods listed as well as the Biblical passages in which they appeared. Nearly every food on the menu had a passage from the Bible accompanying it. So while they ate, the guests learned, or were reminded, that they were eating roasted lamb with cumin because "[They] shall eat the lamb the same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs" [Exodus 12:8].

Donna Maguire, who helps with the youth group, came up with the idea of the Biblical feast to raise money, though the original idea came from the book "The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast."

"We wanted to make something with a Biblical theme to it," she said. In addition to the food, members of the youth group dressed up in outfits worn in Biblical times and music that would have been played then entertained the guests.

Maguire also used two other cookbooks, "A Biblical Feast: Foods From the Holy Land" and "Healing Foods From the Bible," in her research for the meal.

After the research was done, church youths and adults helped prepare and test the food. Maguire said they had a practice meal two weeks ago.

"We had to nix a couple items," she said with a smile. "We had a squash recipe with capers in it that called for the dish to be served at room temperature. Some people didn't quite like it." The dish was replaced by a more tame baked squash with cinnamon.

Curran also said the dinner serves as an educational experience. "It educates people about what and how they would've eaten in the times of the Bible," she said. "We've tried to be as authentic as possible. We've only used ingredients they would've had back then."

For example, she said that most taboulleh recipes today include the use of tomatoes, but people of Biblical times would not use tomatoes, so they weren't used.

All the proceeds from the dinner go to a youth work trip this summer in West Virginia. Some 16 youths and adults from the church will help build houses for people who don't have much, if any, money. Youth groups from different parts of the country will work together in building the houses.

Andrea Bryan, 15, who is participating in the youth work trip, enjoyed the fund raiser.

"I think it's good with all the different foods," Bryan said. "A lot of people enjoy this."