Quinquagesima Pork

History

Just as we touched on in our post for Quinquagesima, the three days before Ash Wednesday have historically been the high point of the Carnival celebration, serving as the final push for Christians to get themselves and their families ready for the Lenten season to commence.

In the Eastern Church, meatfare and cheesefare were the names given to the last two weeks of Gesimatide, indicating a sort of systematic elimination of these foods within society. In this way, their fasting began before the start of Lent with a partial fast during the pre-Lent weeks.  Although this tradition has never been celebrated by Lutherans, the Sunday and Monday of Quinquagesima served a similar purpose within the Western Church, which tended to locate Christian’s final pre-Lenten consumption of meat during these days.

Pork Sunday

It is for this reason that Quinquagesima has been known as “Pork Sunday” since the Middle Ages because this was a day when Christians tried to use up their remaining pork, one of the most heavily consumed meats within Christian culture at the time. Likewise, the Monday after Quinquagesima was called Pork Monday, although it later came to be known as Shrove Monday or Collop Monday in countries like England.

On these two days, most of the remaining meat found in Christian homes and businesses was to be consumed, as they needed to get rid of it before they began fasting on Wednesday. If any meat was unable to be eaten on these two days, it was typically dried and salted in an attempt to preserve it for after Easter. Although meat was also consumed on Fat Tuesday, that day was more dedicated to the final consumption of dairy, fats, and sugars.

The recipe that we chose to share with you today is for pork chops, made with a sweet and smoky rub. Not only does this recipe nod to Quinquagesima’s alternative name, but is also uses a sugary topping, something that is forgone during the Lenten season.

Quinquagesima Pork Chops

Ingredients

2 pork chops

2 tablespoons brown or coconut sugar

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

4 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F and an oven-safe skillet on the stovetop over medium heat.
2. Combine the spices in a bowl and then rub thoroughly onto both sides of the pork chops.
3. Drop a tablespoon of butter into the skillet and swirl around to grease the bottom of the pan. Place the pork chops in to sear the first side. Flip and sear the other side. If the pork chops haven’t yet reached an internal temperature of 145° F, place in the oven and bake until fully cooked, but not dry.
4. Remove from oven, add the remaining butter and minced garlicand spoon over the pork chops. Top with fresh herbs, serve, and enjoy!