Eating lamb at Easter, what did Jesus eat at the Last Supper?

This is the most famous meal in human history, yet what Jesus and the twelve disciples actually ate at the Last Supper remains a mystery to this day. Since there is no definitive answer, Leonardo da Vinci and other painters followed the trends of their time or their own dietary preferences, each serving Jesus a different menu on canvas.

Did Jesus eat according to Jewish custom, or did he eat local food in Jerusalem?

With spring in full bloom, after Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, on Thursday morning he instructed his disciples to go find a place to share the "Passover" meal. Just as Jesus had predicted, Peter and John met a man carrying a water jar, who agreed to host the feast in his own guest room. This generous man was most likely Mark's father; although he was not among the twelve apostles, Mark later devoted himself to spreading the gospel.

As evening fell, the Last Supper began. Jesus took the bread, "This is my body given for you," and raised the cup of wine, "This is the new covenant in my blood." Jesus drank the wine and ate the unleavened bread; following Jewish tradition, the table should also have included bitter herbs symbolizing slavery, and the main dish was most likely lamb.

Before the Exodus, Jehovah told Moses: "Each household is to prepare a lamb; it must be without defect, a male less than a year old; you may choose either a sheep or a goat. Slaughter the lamb and take some of the blood and put it on the doorframes and lintels of the houses where the lamb is eaten." Jehovah also carefully specified the method of cooking: "Roast it over fire; you must not eat it raw or boiled in water; roast it over fire with its head, legs and inner organs." He reminded them that for generations to come they were to gather on this day to eat the Passover meal, remembering the story of the escape from Egypt.