What did Christians have to give up during Lent?
Meat and dairy were not allowed during Lent, but people could eat fish, bread and vegetables.
Some people looked for ways to get around these strict rules. They said that beaver tails could be eaten because these animals lived near and in rivers. Birds that lived on water, like ducks, were called ‘barnacle geese’ as it was believed that they hatched from barnacles – so some people said that these could be counted as fish too!
Let’s take a closer look at some of the foods allowed during Lent:
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Saintly fish
Fish was thought to be a virtuous (saintly) food, because two of Jesus’ apostles were fishermen. Before fridges and freezers were invented, most fish would have been salted and dried to stop it from going off.
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Posh spices
People were allowed to flavour their food with spices during Lent, but they were very expensive. This meant that only rich people could afford spices, which were used in recipes like potage, a kind of stew.
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Dairy-free
During Lent, dairy products (including milk, butter, cheese and cream) were not allowed. To make recipes that normally used these ingredients, people replaced them with almond milk and almond butter.
