Bless This Food: Ancient and Contemporary Graces from Around the World

Bless This Food: Ancient and Contemporary Graces from Around the World

Expressing thanks for food represents a wonderful tradition that acknowledges bounty and our daily sustenance as gifts from the divine. 

by Adrian Butash —

Grace before meals is the prayer said most often in homes around the world — an act of worship common to every known society.

The universal experience of sharing food fundamentally connects people to one another, to nature and to the infinite.

Expressing thanks for food represents a wonderful tradition that acknowledges bounty and our daily sustenance as gifts from the divine.

Butash presents 160 timeless mealtime blessings in an easy-to-use format.

The eloquent prayers and poems have been carefully selected from the world’s major religions, ancient traditions and the works of great poets and thinkers, with sources ranging from Shakespeare to Starhawk and Tecumseh to the Tamil tradition and the North American plains to Pakistan.

Each grace is introduced with cultural context and gives details about its history and evolution.

Also included are two prayers in American sign language and the short prayer “Bless this Food” in 19 languages.

The result is a unique kind of soul food — recipes for gratitude at any mealtime gathering.

$14.95 — New World Library, 14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 32, Number 5, October/November 2013.