When a loved one passes away, the role that food plays in the funeral process isn’t necessarily the first thought. But food has been used as a part of mourning throughout history, in cultures all over the world. Archaeologists have found evidence of what they believe was the first ‘funeral feast’ in a cave in Israel, dating back 12,000 years. And this instinct to eat, and to feed, in times of bereavement has carried on for centuries, to the present day.
The significance of food in the mourning process varies by culture, but the core values remain – bereavement is a time for human connection. The act of working to prepare a meal for someone who has lost a loved one is a profound expression of sympathy, and feeding mourners at a funeral is a chance to connect over the departed, and build a community.
Many funeral food practices are heavily influenced by religion. A notable example is Hinduism; for a certain period after the death of a loved one, Hindu mourners are not permitted to consume meat products. As such, it has become commonplace for friends of the bereaved to give baskets of fruit and vegetable samosas as a sympathy gift. The deep-fried savoury parcels of vegetables and spices, often served with chutney, are now a feature of the mourning period in Hindu cultures.
Click here to read the full feature, which appears in the August edition of Funeral Director Monthly.
Further reading
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