Fish and Chips, a popular British national dish

Fish and Chips in the United Kingdom can be eaten literally on every corner.

For several years now we have been living in the British Isles, so our Flavours from Travels section simply cannot be without information about a traditional English dish – Fish and Chips. Across Europe, myths and legends circulate claiming that the English gorge themselves on fish and chips every single day, all year round. Indeed, while wandering around town, I often see the same faces in the same bar, waiting for their portion of fried chips, fish, and fat. But that proves nothing because I see just as many people in pizzerias or queuing for hamburgers. Fish and Chips is simply a quick and cheap meal for the particularly lazy.

How Fish and Chips is prepared

There is nothing complicated about preparing this basic dish, just as there is nothing especially exciting about it. It consists of thick-cut chips and fish fillets fried in deep fat. Most typically, before the fish goes into the boiling oil, it is coated in batter or breadcrumbs. Traditionally, cod or haddock fillets are used. The English serve the whole set sprinkled with malt vinegar and seasoned with salt, often accompanied by green peas in the form of a paste. I am not a giant fan, but from time to time, I eat Fish and Chips for the same reasons that made the dish popular in the first place — it is quick to prepare and cheap to buy.

In the past, beef dripping or lard was used to fry the fish and chips. This gave the dish a distinctive flavour, but today these fats have been replaced by vegetable oils. For the batter, a mixture of flour and water with the addition of baking soda is used. Some bars add vinegar to the batter, as it reacts with the soda and creates air bubbles, making the coating crispy. There are also recipes in which beer is added instead of water, changing the flavour of the entire dish. I had the opportunity to try fish prepared this way while travelling through Ireland, and I must admit it is delicious. As for the chips, in England they are thick and rather greasy, while in the USA or Australia they tend to be thin-cut and crispy.

In many bars, the fish and chips are sprinkled with vinegar and seasoned with salt. An inseparable element of the dish in the UK is green peas, served whole or mashed into a paste. In some places, you can also get a dark sauce, a bit like gravy, but made from powder — and I do not recommend it. More refined restaurants serve Fish and Chips with vegetables, salads, pickles, or ketchup.

The beginnings of Fish and Chips in the United Kingdom

The first restaurant serving fish and chips was opened in London in 1860 by John Malin. At the same time, this year became the symbolic date of the birth of this English fast food. However, this is not the full story, as different sources provide different information. In certain gastronomic circles, it is said that the dish was brought to the islands by immigrants from Spain. Cheap food quickly spread among the growing number of workers in large English cities gripped by the frenzy of the Industrial Revolution. The development of the fishing fleet also helped — thanks to new steam boilers installed on trawlers, it became extremely efficient, which caused a dramatic decline in fish prices on the market.

The French, on the other hand, claim that they invented chips. The English say this is not true — but the English deny everything the French say, so this is hardly conclusive. Battered fish, meanwhile, is claimed by the Italians. They argue that they are ultimately responsible for all dishes originating from the sea. The English deny this as well, while at the same time reminding everyone that Fish and Chips is served in Italian schools under the name “English chips with fish.” This rather ends the discussion with the Italians.

Whatever the true origins of the dish may be, today small eateries frying fish and chips can be found in every English town. The dish has made its way onto the list of official cuisines of various European countries. Alongside it, we find such wonders as the French toasted sandwich with cheese and meat, Wiener schnitzel, or chicken cooked in beer from Belgium. Outside England, Fish, and Chips is popular in Canada, Australia, and America. It can also be found on menus in Ireland and South Africa. As you might guess, this map almost exactly overlaps with the map of former British colonies.

Fish and Chips today

Today, as mentioned earlier, people have a wide choice. The development of other typical fast foods has contributed to a decline in the popularity of this traditional quick meal. According to data I managed to find, in the 1930s there were over 30,000 Fish and Chips restaurants in the United Kingdom. Today, there are only about 10,000. In Poland, we also have an old recipe for fish with potatoes. In Warmia, fish fillets are fried, coated in breadcrumbs. Potatoes are sliced thinly and fried in a pan. Towards the end, when they turn golden, they are sprinkled with salt and pepper, and often herbs such as caraway and dill are added. I have not tried it, but it sounds tasty, don’t you think?

Polish version