The answer is: Locusts and honey

Matt 3:4 - Locusts were a clean food under the Levitical law and living in the desert, he couldn't afford to pass them up.

John the Baptist’s culinary choices are certainly intriguing! Imagine a man in the wilderness, clothed in camel’s hair, proclaiming a message of repentance, while munching on crunchy locusts dipped in honey—quite the visual! This unique diet tells us a fair bit about his austere lifestyle and commitment to his mission.

Locusts were considered clean under the dietary laws in Leviticus 11:22, which is fascinating when you think about the Levites' control over food regulation in ancient Israel. This means that John was not just surviving in the harsh desert environment, but adhering to these laws in a very interesting way. Honey, though sweet and delicious, was often associated with wealth and abundance, creating a delightful contrast to the rugged ardor of his existence.

This little detail might also remind us of the biblical echoes of food as a spiritual metaphor. In the Scriptures, we see countless meals representing deeper meanings—think of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ at the Last Supper. Food often illustrated themes of sustenance, sharing, and the divine.

Now, here’s a fun tidbit: these locusts also symbolize divine judgment and hope; they’re infamous in the book of Exodus, showing the seriousness of impostors and repentance. Locusts might seem unappealing today, but for John, they were perfect sustenance on his path to prepare the way for something much greater!