Are Roe and Caviar Vegetarian?

I am both a vegetarian and a sushi-nut-- and, yes, it is possible to be both. As someone who values both animal welfare and fine cuisine, I've found myself looking at menus and wondering to myself, "Is roe vegeterian?" Many of the most delicious foods options on a sushi menu include the roe (eggs) of salmon and smelt. Could I eat these delicacies and still call myself a vegetarian?

And what about caviar, the roe of a sturgeon fish? Is it vegetarian? The answer to this seemingly simple question is actually complex.

Caviar and Roe in a Vegetarian Diet

If you follow a vegetarian diet, but not a vegetarian lifestyle-- for example, if you don't eat meat but you do wear leather-- caviar and roe could technically fit your lifestyle. If your definition of vegetarian simply means that you abstain from eating animal flesh, then caviar is a vegetarian food. Roe is a vegetarian food in the most liberal definition of the term; it is "vegetarian" in the same way that leather, gelatin and milk are vegetarian. These delicacies are not, technically speaking, the meat of any animal.

Caviar and Roe in a Vegetarian Lifestyle

If you follow a vegetarian lifestyle, most forms of caviar are not appropriate for your lifestyle. Advocates of a vegetarian lifestyle abstain not only from meat consumption, but also from fur, gelatin, leather, and other products that necessitate the death of an animal. Most forms of roe and caviar can be extracted only if the female fish is killed. A few fish-farmers use "stripping," a more humane method, to extract roe from fish. This practice does not kill the fish, but almost all other forms of fish farming do involve the death of the adult female. As a result, caviar and roe do not fit within a truly vegetarian lifestyle.

Caviar and Roe in a Vegan Diet

By no definition could caviar be considered vegan. Vegans, who avoid all animal-derived products including honey, silk, wool, eggs and milk, can not consume roe if they abide by the ethical and dietary standards of veganism. Fortunately for food connoisseurs, there are several vegetarian and vegan alternatives to roe, made from algae or kelp. These meet the standards associated with vegan, vegetarian and kosher lifestyle choices.