Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. Fish and chip shops first appeared in the UK in the 1860s, and by 1910, there were over 25,000 fish and chip shops across the UK. By the 1930s there were over 35,000 shops, fish and chips batter the trend reversed, and by 2009 there were only approximately 10,000. The UK tradition of eating fish battered and fried in oil was introduced to the country by Spanish and Portuguese Jewish immigrants, who spent time in the Netherlands before settling in the UK as early as the 16th century.
The exact location of the first fish and chip shop is unclear. The earliest known shops were opened in London during the 1860s by Eastern European Jewish immigrant Joseph Malin, and by John Lees in Mossley, Lancashire. United Kingdom, although outlets selling fried food occurred commonly throughout Europe. Early fish-and-chip shops had only very basic facilities.
Deep-fried cod and chips with mushy peas and tartar sauce from Bude, Cornwall. In 1928, Harry Ramsden opened his first fish and chip shop in Guiseley, West Yorkshire. On a single day in 1952, the shop served 10,000 portions of fish and chips, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records. During the Second World War, fish and chips—a staple of the working class—remained one of the few foods in the United Kingdom not subject to rationing. British fish and chips were originally served in a wrapping of old newspapers but this practice has now largely ceased, with plain paper, cardboard, or plastic being used instead. A prominent meal in British culture, fish and chips became popular in wider circles in London and South East England in the middle of the 19th century: Charles Dickens mentions a “fried fish warehouse” in Oliver Twist, first published in 1838, while in the north of England a trade in deep-fried chipped potatoes developed. Friday night suppers the culinary highlight of the week for generations.
Nigel Burton writing in The Northern Echo, 2013. Fish and chips on the seafront at Hunstanton, Norfolk. In the United Kingdom, fish and chips are particularly associated with seaside resorts. Located in Covent Garden, The Rock and Sole Plaice, dating from 1871, is London’s oldest fish and chip shop still in operation. By 1910, there were over 25,000 fish and chip shops across the UK, a figure that grew to over 35,000 shops by the 1930s.
Since then the trend has reversed, and in 2009 there were approximately 10,000 shops. Dundee City Council claims that chips were first sold by a Belgian immigrant, Edward De Gernier, in the city’s Greenmarket in the 1870s. Chips Awards were set up in the UK in 1988. Chips Awards ceremony was attended by Norwegian ambassador to the UK Mona Juul. The first recorded owner of an Australian fish and chip shop is Greek migrant Athanasias Comino, who opened his shop in 1879 on Sydney’s Oxford Street, though Comino’s shop was inspired by an unknown Welshman’s pre-existing fish and chip shop. County Cork in the 1880s and walked all the way to Dublin. Fish and chips is the most popular takeaway food in New Zealand.
Food historians have not been able to pinpoint exactly when the meal became an established part of New Zealand cuisine, but all recognise that the first fish and chips shops were introduced by British settlers before World War I. Traditionally, fish and chips were served in wrappings of greaseproof paper and then newspaper as insulation. With the decline of the newspaper industry, this has become less common although plain, unprinted paper is still popular. In 1980, four up-and-coming New Zealand Labour Party politicians, including David Lange, were nicknamed the “Fish and Chip Brigade” due to a picture published at the time with the group eating fish and chips. The western Norwegian town of Kristiansund has had a tradition with fish and chips as street food since the 1940s.
It is known locally as fishan. Fish and chips is a widely popular dish in Canada, sometimes using local lake-caught fish like perch or walleye. Most shops also sell poutine and other fried items. In New Zealand, snapper or gurnard was originally the preferred species for battered fillets in the North Island. In the United States, the type of fish used depends on availability in a given region. Some common types are cod, halibut, flounder, tilapia or, in New England, Atlantic cod or haddock.
In India, the dish is usually based on pomfret fish and uses chilli paste, and more pepper than would be used in Britain. In South Africa, hake and snoek are common choices. Other recipes may use beer or milk batter, where these liquids are often substitutes for water. British chips are usually considerably thicker than American-style french fries. British variant, sometimes referred to as steak fries. In chip shops in most parts of Britain and Ireland, salt and vinegar are traditionally sprinkled over fish and chips at the time it is served.
The sauces are usually poured over the chips. 1,000 calories and contains approximately 52 grams of fat. The use of tartar sauce as a condiment adds more calories and fat to the dish. Conventional vans are often used to sell fish and chips. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, fish and chips are usually sold by independent restaurants and take-aways known as fish and chip shops.