[Sca-cooks] Re: Lenten Question

[she not]

Cynara commented:> It seems to me (not a Catholic) that the Lenten diet is no more> restrictive> than many others. And it is probably not particularly difficult when> everyone around you is following the same diet, as a medieval Catholic> would> be. It is the concept of "giving up" that makes it seem difficult to > the> modern, and/or non-Catholic, mind.I'm not sure that this concept was any easier for the medieval mind considering the number of work-arounds such as almond milk or defining unborn rabbits as non-meat. Or the complaints of the northern Europeans about butter being banned, but not olive oil.

"folks have to remember that at the time Lent was set down, the Catholic church
hadn't fully split yet. The Byzantine church has different rules:"

The Church hadn't fully come together yet before it split, either. Just off the top of my head- the prohibition against meat products was justified as part of the sexual taboos, fish being exempt because they didn't do the nasty..the ideal of clerical chastity dates before Augustine, but wasn't universally accepted  till the high middle ages. For the same reasons there were regional and social variations in fast menus- England, with a strong fishing industry and inland river transport was very hot on fish for fasts, other areas less so, some allowed dairy products, even eggs, some  enforced the vegan & fish fast, Guibert of Nogent grumbled about that (and everything else. Unpleasant man, but possibly useful for Elaine). 

Various Christian cults had objections to some fast rules, and it's usually possible to see some underlying economic factors in what rules were practiced. For instance, Lent conveniently falls at the season that would otherwise put a tremendous strain on stores of  preserved meats, but fish are abundant and can be kept longest without spoilage. Someone else already lined out loopholes and exceptions to the fast requirements- reading Margery of Kempe you'll find a distinction between following standard fast rules and genuine sacrifice that's pretty blatant in Lenten menus.  Platina, btw, can give you some prtty good recipes, even though he comes off like a health food nut.

Gisele



		
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