[Sca-cooks] European Fast Days?

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> A discussion on another list has turned to fast days. I know about
> "fish Fridays" and Lent (that's 40 days, right?). And i know there
> are others, but i'm not sure how many fast days were there in a
> typical year (if there is such a thing) in the Middle Ages /
> Renaissance?

According to Johanna Maria van Winter, in the article "Obligatory Fasts
and Voluntary Asceticism in the Middle Ages":

"For everyone, the Church stipulated Lent for 40 days, from Ash Wednesday
to Easter (the Quadragesima), and in addition a few so-called quatertemps
weeks; Wednesday to Saturday after Whitsun, after Exaltation of the Cross
in September, and after Saint Lucie in December before Christmas. During
the Quadragesima and in the Quatertemps weeks it was not only not allowed
to eat meat, but eggs, milk, butter and cheese were also struck off the
menu.

Moreover, during the entire year it was not allowed to eat meet on
Wednesdays and Fridays; eggs and dairy produce were allowed on those days,
but no meat or fowl."
(in _Food in Change: Eating Habits from the Middle Ages to the Present
Day_, A. Fenton & E. Kisban, eds. (Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities
Press, Inc. 1986)

I believe that in some areas, fasting was also required on ordinary
Saturdays.

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa
jenne at fiedlerfamily.net OR jenne at tulgey.browser.net OR jahb at lehigh.edu
"I used to be one of them. Now I rather think I'm one of me." -- Terry
Prachett, _Thief of Time_