militaryCoo t1_j6lmy5x wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:52 AM

Reply to comment by Phantom_Ganon in ELI5: when people give up red meat for lent, why do they always eat fish instead? Aren't chicken and turkey white meats too? by Inanimatepony

https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/history-shrove-tuesday-pancake-day-tradition-why-we-eat-pancakes-lent-fasting/

Phantom_Ganon t1_j6ln646 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:54 AM

Wow. I've never even heard of Shrove Tuesday. I wonder when they changed the rules that allow us to eat eggs during Lent.

makkdom t1_j6lnlun wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:58 AM

It is not the eggs that are the issue. Pancakes would have been cooked and eaten on Tuesday to use up the animal fat that greased the griddle. The fat had to be gone by Ash Wednesday or it would spoil during lent.