The Theology of Food: Eating and the Eucharist

The links between religion and food have been known for centuries. The Bible’s story of the origins of humanity begins with the eating of fruit, and at the heart of Christianity – and acted out every Sunday – is the eating of bread which is miraculously transformed into the Body of Christ. For Islam, the eating and fasting around Ramadan are a key part of one of the most important spiritual events of the Muslim calendar, while the dietary laws of Judaism are designed to create awareness of living in the time and space of the Torah. Though we know these things, we rarely examine or fully understand the nature of the relationship between food and spirituality, or food and sin. This book takes seriously the idea that food matters and that eating and many of its aspects – table fellowship, culinary traditions, the relationship between tasting and knowing, and the aesthetic, ethical, and political dimensions of food – are important and complex, and throw light on the relationship between food and religion. Drawing on literature, anthropology, cultural studies, politics, and philosophy as well as theology, this book illuminates the role of food in religion and shows religion in a new and intriguing light.

Foreword vi Joaquín Racionero Page Preface ix Acknowledgments x Introduction. Food Talk: Overlapping Matters 1 1 The Making of Mexican Molli and Alimentary Theology in the Making 11 2 Sabor/Saber : Taste and the Eros of Cognition 45 3 Being Nourished: Food Matters 77 4 Sharing in the Body of Christ and the Theopolitics of Superabundance 113 Conclusion. Food Notes: Prolegomenon to a Eucharistic Discourse 157 Index 161

Angel F. Méndez–Montoya, OP, is a member of the Southern Dominican Province in the USA. He currently teaches theology and philosophy at Universidad Iberoamericana, in Mexico City, where he is also the coordinator of the Faith and Culture Program. He has a doctorate in philosophical theology from the University of Virginia (USA) and was scholar in residence at Cambridge University (UK).

“Nevertheless, this is an inspiring interpretation of the possibility of reclaiming and reconnecting theology, food, and a fuller eucharistic life.”  ( The Theology of Food , 1 October 2013) "For all its erudition, this book is more complex and valuable than a simple examination of Christian consumption. It offers rich reflection on the prophetic and generous ways in which Christianity might still disciple consumers who desire the superabundant grace made material in the flesh of Jesus Christ." ( Theological Book Review , 2011) "This much–needed book takes seriously the Churches′ unique contribution to understanding the importance of food." ( Church Times , 11 February 2011) "Montoya′s book is a delight to read, and is a significant contribution to the effort to apply theological thinking to the everyday realities of embodied life." ( Modern Theology , April 2010) "It is a thought provoking and engaging work on the role of the Eucharist in Christian life." ( CHOICE, August 2009) "This book deserves to be widely read and, if you will forgive the metaphor, digested." ( Christian Century , June 2010)