Various Native American cultures have historically hunted beavers for food. Beaver meat was advantageous since it had more calories and fat than other red meats, and the animals remained plump in winter. The bones were used to make tools. In medieval Europe, the Catholic Church considered the beaver to be part beast and part fish and allowed followers to eat the scaly, fishlike tail on meatless Fridays during Lent. Beaver tails were thus a delicacy in Europe and were described by French naturalist Pierre Belon as having the flavor of a nicely dressed eel.