Beaver? Alligator? There are some surprising options on church-approved foods for Lent

Lent began on Ash Wednesday, March 2. For 40 days, Catholics will read scripture, give alms and “practice self-control” through fasting to prepare for the celebration of Easter, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says. Catholics are encouraged to help those around them and sacrifice something that is hard to them.

One of the Lent traditions is also to abstain from meat on Fridays.

For the next six weeks, many local restaurants will promote fish-based meals on Fridays, according to the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, as the demand spikes. Fast food chains like Popeyes, Buffalo Wild Wings and Bojangles that used to miss out on the rise in demand for seafood have all added fish to their menus for Lent, according to Insider.

Even McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish was invented during Lent back in 1962, according to the Smithsonian magazine.

But what else can people eat during Lent?

While chickens and other birds, cows, sheep and pigs are all considered meat, “salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted,” according to the Holy Spirit Parish.

That means frogs, snails and alligators are all up for grabs.

Beaver was also added to the list in the 17th century. The Bishop of Quebec asked the church if it would be permitted to eat beaver on Fridays during Lent, Scientific American reported.

“Since the semi-aquatic rodent was a skilled swimmer, the Church declared that the beaver was a fish,” the outlet wrote.

The church also added the capybara, the largest rodent in the world, onto the list of acceptable meats. According to the outlet, capybara and iguana dishes are popular Lent meals in Central and South America.

Still in the rodent family, the muskrat is another option for meat. “Detroit-area Catholics have long-standing permission” to eat muskrat during Lent, according to the Lafayette Daily Advertiser.

This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Beaver? Alligator? There are some surprising options on church-approved foods for Lent."