Does abstinence from meat include animal byproducts?
The short answer
Not for Latin-rite Catholics today. In the past, Lenten abstinence included meat byproducts like milk, eggs and butter — the origin of Fat Tuesday and Shrove Tuesday pancakes. It is still required in the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Stricter in the past
Lenten abstinence used to be much stricter, and Catholics fasted from meat byproducts as well as meat.
Fat Tuesday
That is why some places in the West developed Fat Tuesday: Catholics used up the meat byproducts in their pantries in special meals on the day before Ash Wednesday. In England, pancake races on that day still recall the custom of using up milk, eggs and butter.
Today
Abstaining from meat byproducts is no longer required for Latin-rite Catholics, though it remains mandatory in the Eastern Churches in union with Rome.
Continue exploring
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