Is Fish Meat? Similarities, Differences And A Clear Answer

Is fish meat - yes or no? If you're looking for a plausible answer to this question, you've come to the right place! It comes up again and again in everyday situations. For example, when eating together with vegans and vegetarians. You've probably also heard the saying that something is "neither fish nor meat". It means that something cannot be clearly categorized. Whether fish is meat, however, can be clearly explained.

In this article, I would like to give you the answer based on the respective definition and briefly explain why it is important to know them in the first place. Let's go!

1. Background
2. Definition
3. Reply
4. Closing words

Why is the question "Is fish meat?" important?

First of all, I'll explain my reasons for writing this article. The main point is this, Clarity in everyday situations and discussions in which the question of whether fish is meat or not comes up every now and then.

A saying like "It's not meat, it's fish" Many of us have certainly heard this before. The shift towards a more climate-friendly, sustainable lifestyle, with a reduced meat consumptionraises the question from time to time.

Many restaurants have a separate menu for meat - and another for fish. And then many people are also Vegetarians:insidewho, by definition, do not eat fish - and Pescetarians:insidewho give up meat but eat fish. This causes confusion for some. This article, however, aims to clear things up.

But whether fish is meat is also for religious reasons interesting. For strictly devout Christians, eating meat on Good Friday and Fridays in general is taboo. This is a reminder that Jesus Christ gave his life for his disciples on a Friday. However, fish is allowed to be eaten, which is why it serves as both a motif in early Christian art and a substitute for meat.

"The lower animals, like man, manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness and misery."

Charles Darwin (more at Animal welfare quotes)

However, it is of course also about the Appreciation for the life of fish. Just like dogs, cats, chickens or even us humans, they are sentient beings that feel fear, joy and pain and have the will to live. It would be unfair to consider their body parts not even as meat, but as "something else".

How are meat and fish defined?

To answer the initial question clearly and once and for all, let's first look at the general definitions of fish and meat.

What is meat?

By definition, meat is a Muscle tissue of the human or animal bodywhich consists of fibers encased in connective tissue, between which fat is stored.₁

What is (a) fish?

A fish is called scaly, alternate-warm vertebrate (with a laterally flattened body) that lives in water and is equipped with a swim bladder, gills and fins.₂

Tip: The Overfishing the oceans is one of the biggest ecological challenges of our time. You can find out how to counteract it in your everyday life in the article "Stop overfishing".

So fish(meat) is meat by definition

Why should the tissue of a trout not actually be meat? The Food Act does make a distinction between types of meat. But Fish also consist of muscle tissue and connective tissue - and are therefore (in processed form) of course also meat. The protein structure also leaves no doubt about this.

The only essential difference, is that fish alternately warm and cows and pigs, for example, are warm-blooded animals. The definition of fish refers primarily to the animal creatures that live under water - and not to what we humans prefer to prepare from them.

The distinction between fish and meat ultimately goes back to the Christian faiththan on the tissue structure of the animals. Moreover, the pescetarian diet is not an offshoot of vegetarianism, but merely a sub-form of the mixed-food, omnivorous diet.

See fish for what they are

To clarify the initial question: so also fish meat is meat. Strictly speaking, it should therefore not be eaten on Fridays and during Lent, even by devout Christians. But that's another story.

Even if fish Scales and gills, instead of fur and hooves have - and look slightly different - their muscle tissue is of course also meat. In addition, the living Animals emotional creatureswho feel fear, joy and sorrow, like you and me.

Fortunately, for those who don't want to do without the taste of fish, there are now countless animal-friendly, healthy, vegetarian and vegan alternatives - for fish sticks, fish sandwiches and salmon, for example! If you want to try your hand at climate-friendly, plant-based cooking, I can warmly recommend the cookbook to vegan cliché goodbye recommend. If you like, get it here*.

Do you have any questions, suggestions or your own experience with the distinction between fish and meat that you would like to share? Then please write me a comment.

Stay animal-friendly,

PS: You want to know, why vegans do not eat fish? I explain it to you in the linked article. You can also find out why in another article Catch and Release, that is, catching and releasing fish, is not an animal-friendly fishing method.

References:
₁ Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities; Digital Dictionary of the German Language: Meat, available at https://www.dwds.de/wb/Fleisch. [12.03.2023]

₂ Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities; Digital Dictionary of the German Language: Fish, available at https://www.dwds.de/wb/Fisch. [12.03.2023]