What Latin phrase for Ember Days appears in Wikipedia's tempura etymology section?

The story behind the answer

The Latin phrase for Ember Days shown in Wikipedia’s tempura etymology section is quatuor anni tempora.

Quatuor anni tempora literally refers to the “four seasons” or four times of the year. In Christian tradition, the Ember Days were recurring periods of fasting, prayer, and abstinence observed four times annually. During these periods, Catholics commonly avoided meat and ate foods such as fish and vegetables instead.

The phrase appears in one proposed explanation for the word tempura. Portuguese missionaries in Japan may have used a form of Latin tempora when discussing Lent, Ember Days, Fridays, and other occasions associated with abstinence. Since battered fish and vegetables suited those dietary rules, the religious calendar has been connected to the name of the Japanese dish.

This is not the only proposed origin. Another theory derives tempura from Portuguese tempero, meaning condiment or seasoning, or from temperar, meaning to season. The etymology therefore remains debated, even though quatuor anni tempora is the exact phrase identified in the cited Wikipedia passage. The modern Japanese dish emerged through later local adaptation, especially in Edo-period food-stall culture.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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