A closer look
Imagine being told not to touch a slice of buttered bread… unless you had the coins to make it ‘holy.’ That was medieval France, where rules of faith were spiced with economics. To skip butter during Lent wasn’t only about piety—it was about pockets. Churches quietly allowed exceptions for those who could pay, transforming creamy indulgences into a money pipeline. So even when religious doctrine said 'no,' silver said 'yes.' These butter bans weren’t trivial—they revealed how food, faith, and finance kneaded together to maintain power in the most ordinary of kitchens.
