Fish--Not a Fish?

I'm going to have to go with "Not a Fish," despite the threat to my immortal soul.

As John J. Miller explains:

The season of Lent, which began on Wednesday, brings to mind an odd request the Vatican received from South America in the 17th century. The faithful sought permission to eat capybaras on Fridays during the six weeks before Easter, when Catholics are supposed to avoid the meat of birds and mammals.

The priests who puzzled over this petition certainly had no inkling of capybaras. Even today, most non-zookeepers outside South America have never heard of them. But these critters spend lots of time in water, they swim and dive well, and their feet are slightly webbed. Kind of like
fish, right?

Close enough for the Vatican, apparently, because Rome sent out the word that it was acceptable to consume capybaras during Lent. Today they are considered a delicacy in many parts of South America, especially Venezuela. Eating capybaras there during Lent is about as traditional as eating turkeys at Thanksgiving here in the U.S. Technically, though, capybaras are mammals--the largest members of the rodent family, with adults weighing more than 100 pounds. The food they provide is meat.