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Concept
Seven Species
Summary
The Seven Species (שִׁבְעַת הַמִינִים, Shiv'at HaMinim) are seven agricultural products - two grains and five fruits - which are listed in the Hebrew Bible as being special products of the Land of Israel.
The seven species listed are wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranates, olive (oil), and date (date honey) (). Their first fruits were the only acceptable offerings in the Temple.
The Seven Species have played an important role in the food of the Israelites in the Land of Israel and the religious traditions of Judaism.
Many references to these basic foods can be found in Bible. The Mishna states that only first fruits of the Seven Species could be brought to the Temple in Jerusalem as offerings. Wheat fields, vineyards and olive groves are still a salient feature of the Israeli landscape today. Figs, olives, pomegranates and dates are common ingredients in the cuisine of Israel.
The ancient Israelites cultivated both wheat and barley. These two grains are mentioned first in the biblical list of the Seven Species of the land of Israel and their importance as food in ancient Israelite cuisine is also seen in the celebration of the barley harvest at the festival of Passover and of the wheat harvest at the festival of Shavuot.
A hardy cereal that has coarse bristles coming from the ears. It is widely cultivated, mainly for use in brewing and stockfeed.
Grapes were used mainly for the production of wine, although they were also eaten fresh and dried.
Figs were cultivated throughout the Land of Israel and fresh or dried figs were part of the daily diet. A common way of preparing dried figs was to chop them and press them into a cake. Figs are frequently mentioned in the Bible (for example, , and ).
Pomegranates were usually eaten fresh, although occasionally they were used to make juice or wine, or sun-dried for use when the fresh fruit was out of season. They probably played a minor part in Israelite cuisine, but were symbolically important, as adornments on the hem of the robe of the high priest and the Temple pillars, and embossed on coinage.
Official source
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