Is there an actual bull confirming capybara to be classified a fish during Lent?
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There are some online sources, that say, that in Venezuela, capybara is "allowed" during Lent, because it's classified as a fish with a Papal bull.
[In Atlas Obscura](https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/capybara-venezuela)
> Sometime between the 16th and 18th centuries (accounts vary), Venezuelan clergymen wrote to the Vatican with a special request. They had discovered an animal that lived in water, had webbed feet, and tasted like fish. With Lent approaching, they asked the Vatican to grant the animal the status of fish, so they might eat it during the upcoming days of meat-free fasting. By letter, the Catholic Church agreed, and the capybara—the largest living rodent in the world—became a coveted addition to many Lenten dinner tables.
[In this blogpost](https://www.cogwriter.com/news/religious-news/did-a-pope-conclude-a-rodent-was-a-fish-for-lent/) , citing a biology book
> “In 1784 and after several attempts at obtaining a Vatican license, a Papal Bull (decree) allowed the consumption of capybara flesh during Lent…” – Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species, by José Roberto Moreira, Katia Maria P.M.B., Springer Aug 15, 2012, page 307
[New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/world/americas/21rodent.html)
> Legend has it that eating capybara, known here as chigüire (pronounced chee-GWEE-reh), got a boost in the 18th century when the local clergy asked the Vatican to give capybara the status of fish.
[Sun Sentinel](https://web.archive.org/web/20150219020316/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-03-18/news/0303170443_1_rodents-lenten-capybara)
> The missionaries reported back to Rome that they had encountered an animal that was hairy and scaly and spent more of its time in the water than on land. They asked whether their new converts could continue to eat capybara at Lent, a time when Catholics traditionally avoid meat.
>
> With no clear idea of what the capybara was or looked like and concerned a ban would lead to indigenous communities starving during Lent, the Vatican immediately ruled that the semi-aquatic mammal was in fact a fish.
This claim is also repeated on Wikipedia, but also citing just biology books.
> After several attempts a 1784 Papal bull was obtained that allowed the consumption of capybara during Lent.
>
> López de Ceballos, Eduardo (1974). Fauna de Venezuela y su conservación. Venezuela: Editorial Arte.
>
> Herrera, Emilio A.; Barreto, Guillermo R. (2012). "Capybaras as a Source of Protein: Utilization and Management in Venezuela". In Moreira, J.; Ferraz, K.; Herrera, E.; Macdonald, D. (eds.). Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species. Springer New York. pp. 305–320
The second source is then citing the first source (Ceballos 1974); that book is not available online.
(edit: I have removed this claim from Wikipedia Capybara article now.)
However, I cannot find any actual bull or any actual Catholic source. (I don't speak Spanish.)
Is this an urban legend and capybara is canonically not a fish?
Asked by Karel Bílek
(133 rep)
Mar 4, 2025, 11:52 AM
Last activity: Mar 6, 2025, 03:21 PM
Last activity: Mar 6, 2025, 03:21 PM