12 Fast, Feast, and Flesh The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women CAROLINE WALKER BYNUM k Inseading sees ofthe ances or hewatn Hod cards atthe tought (sas ocnties nmr Ticino Hal omer died ou the Mile Aen and wat replaced yey Here So, ~Willm Hannon, nnecntc an under te New uy American physician Nees Secsey Scholars have rey devoted much acoton to th pray of th het ‘seth and Aen sets In staying lac maliPopo “Concentrated onthe ies on he renunciation fore chastity and poverty that ( shlshae nods sal ha ec ome inthe ives ol medal Chetan They hae anoted thei sia \Csretoorarwtnt medical people thensches Set tat they often spoke nf gluta the muir TORHOY TOT ESE IDS ios pant tennis — TERS ME ON RIE lal waa councine al Thelen main TTTHTEOTS From che eary church to he sateen entry reminded penitent chat sin hal entered he world when Eve ae the fobidien fruit and tharsaeasom ene: a Christians ca the God in the ritual ofthe communion abet Inthe Europe ofthe ate hineenth oeain alter sever centuries of agree oF fod Roading, of vitural growth and relative plenty. Vicious moves aialism, of infamcde, or of il adolescems ett de we bor sometimes survive in the soutces, uugesting “workin whichbungrandevensaration were notuncommonespcrenne fee sibiey of lege aie ‘hat gong vessels whit be an angel shed indica Food wa tices Fastin dhysand vo Christan ing hate ta nd Fray Te fim oe Food was themes da bread and w. Teale varou kind pores otha cgi sister! Tne wr St. Benard then he Pe thie l de har Thr Foc peri ram? of men. Alt Mame Ages. Terarae thsFt Feutand flak 39 ‘his ofereeaing an of pving away foo to the unfortunate waa mack of poy) weet pensar Ty ssLimalastacainasn | fnymous ame nfo Inert an mage fale! sae on ‘Either bemoneewidood and dank wee saneea hang aha thon othe most coman ches Dated onsclgommeereee es ee sed or hath mes oe nko migitrr to Seamsnge a unc ar Caneel Jr oer ite se ‘figintaatanet coe sin gneosy Soa eres eae Aeliberate and extreme enuniatraFTood and sek el le pe medieval people Te eRe ASA, Keung the indo Suara fay ool heey the ast ot nly 2 inden maria concrn ome pol fol pr ties -fasingand leasing sceattheveryheatof the Cesianraition ACHTSEIS > a, dean eat euch earemTeIOySRN ws wen po go $567 Ts young man a BET of Ae eh a in tat ea Become aSrsen nthe Fase wan howenee anes {imix and noone oil much aeons clin nid hemenehag oe Ef The all imac oth peasy wa then brug ane ea san Food was, moreove etl metaphor and gabon ‘hemo Ss wayatencnnsing God. And we teat ese eps, ncaa amp thero hs oodeatea he ener ee Yendand wn Age Madtenanean orale ira Feinicad way. io Cini ndel sing wah eee sek ous nds cia he cena gion meal a teen age porsof buna ie. ncdChtans ered ews hams Nine eat ex atelier ate Chins tampa’ Medina pote tes selves kaw how strange ieceth-century preacher, Johann Taule, wrote; Seat compared his rane the acai] with he aman rcs of ei rented he sins of eving ealowng statin and igson tee Bei willscm crude, but esac eed persis Beware of pdershchenes ren devia bumble spt will cake ems rane ne WA brace als smb, was crucial in macs apa Wt in the Pa mee prominent inthe pty of women tn en and risky to make any quantiaRNeTmeNTa RS IncantAtes so mach work his teen dane on snes mace nonce ae "eerarne tht eran conlaion ar posible about he carve pope ntScot wink hy André Voucher, Richa Kieckhefe, Donal ‘euro ind Ril M. Hell demonstestes that thou womiemerre aly aa ‘Austecml thas cmd or eveed a san betwen HNN UN) hey vito then whose ives extreme auntertis mere seo ati Pet of holiness 0 grser of those in whose lives ilies (en Broughton By fag nd ter penitent rates) was che major factor in reputation forsancriy Tecate ‘ches has shoan that mist mals who were eveied In nig tries one eet Ta Layman’ chs cs hardly the mos popular tmale mo, Shes Ha caracteruel fomale ine general. eerste tna he cnt eur here ae atest hy cans weno wencrope seating atl expe the eachars." but Ihave heen able toad one het sin fa ‘bly ew mile erampes of such hehiviot before the wellpubiced Hector tn her Nicholas of Fi." Moreover rac in which fod simran mulined are ol at leas a6 Fequenty of wom as nt mens al ‘common then in he ives of bly women ta its ery ileus hed sich this peel chaste tity doe sac The sng et of bre or the por tuning int fsee when ha hushed ey ‘maging was tached bs bagugraphers ai least Bre dif Ie look speiealy a practises connected with Cheatinser To eee find lady eames ities tonbadibequlin oleate sina oaksines in which an unconseerated ont suited ator nsec 2 nsec isin lusvely to women. OF fit-fve peuple tom the ler Madde ae mo suppomedly recived the Alp fuod desc cum Chit’ haa in sss hee frcare women, Inontras the only wn ypestecharstiemira thao rey teen are mice chat andere not the fat that the water baad Bor he eae thepnest Moreen when we stidy eval meal by miraculous bil change Such changes are hon Miractous elongation of pares ofthe Body the appeieaneostisteie psi ‘aig ie anus wiunds of Cat alle sismant and theexadineot ordre Hon ‘which smell sweet and eal and sometnies Rodi sully emt mics, RE consider diferent kind fevdence—the exe asd 0 educate hor aaienes thm a woman Miracle he repent an ell by esting the wart ote that mesa ab gsr milk are ral aes that preah Fredn Tbuc’ index only about percent amhtanes ae sheen he ws lok at dhe snes hat ssp asus ater ae an athe ewhanis, 1040 SO percent are about women" The aah ee rome to greed Suet patermprbubly eessthe at thit monasteries lor manner enced ent i than womens houses and theretore more capable of mating aber: Re rnd rempeing plates with deieacen™ Taken tometer dhs idence demonsteatescwu thingy ire pal Tt ith isn al and oft theseventeen| lem inherent hem 3p, put lives and weit fsecing the v mnsonne detail atmo of Schiedaen i Several hi hover cites rc months, solemnly ates Ite his of The aceon mother and dt Ineidens shat ish dawn. way home she how tinh pa thatsbe was pe lover tha pro hee all on the hand, She burne rece el of. Tidwias hay ame hee uch pin swith spices and und she preter sal from the And finaly she