Hosea 3:1 reads (ESV):
And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.”
The translators of the NLT took this interpret "love cakes of raisins" to mean love of the worship of other gods:
Then the LORD said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the LORD still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.”
This seems to be a good interpretation, but could someone connect the dots for me? In what manner were cakes of raisins used in cultic practices? What's the back story here?