(tbp) Fasting and the shortage of olive oil in the cold regions in the 15th century. Health and salvation through the grace of the Apostolic Penitentiary

This paper attempts to sketch a cross-cutting history of health and salvation in the late medieval period, a history that is played out around the necessary consumption (or at least, presented as such by the petitioners) of certain foods prohibited by the Christian Church. Analysing more than 300 cases taken from the Apostolic Penitentiary’s Archives, this paper reveals the collective and individual interests in health and salvation in relation to dietary prohibitions. Those who write to the Apostolic Penitentiary coming from the cold regions of Germany are not only afraid of not being healthy because of the deficiencies they suffer from due to the dietary prohibitions, but are also worried about not being able to follow the Christian precepts, which are unsuited to their Nordic and rural lifestyles.