When Yaakov was left alone to retrieve his jugs, he got embroiled in a fight with the angel of his evil brother Esav. They battled all night long, and upon seeing dawn on the horizon, the angel gave up, but not without striking Yaakov on the thigh and injuring him. Because of this, the Torah says that "על כן לא יאכלו בני ישראל את גיד הנשה - therefore, the Jews do not eat the gid hanasheh, the sciatic nerve."
Homiletically, this passuk can be interpreted to be referring to the days of the year when Jews "do not eat" at all, the public fast days:
The passuk reads as follows: "Therefore the Jews do not eat [on the days hinted to in the following words]:
"את - the ninth (תשעה) of the month of Av (אב);
"גיד - the 3rd (ג) day of the month of Tishrei;
"גיד - the 10th (י) day of the month of Teves;
"גיד - the 17th (the gematriah of גיד) day of Tammuz."
ש"ך על התורה בראשית לב, לג בסופו
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