The history of Fish n Chips

If you’re a food lover you’ve probably heard of the traditional British ‘Fish n Chips’.  So here is its history: 

The start of fish and chips is not completely clear. Fried fish was first sold by Jewish people in the East End of London, while chips became popular in Lancashire and Yorkshire. But we may never know who first put the two things together. 

Fried fish At first, Jewish people from Spain and Portugal who moved to live in England in the 1600s cooked fried fish in a way similar to 'pescado frito'. This is fish covered in flour. Battered fish is covered in flour and then put into a mixture made of flour mixed with liquid, usually water but sometimes beer. Some newer recipes may add cornflour, and sometimes use fizzy water instead of beer. 

Chips Potatoes arrived in the British Isles in the 1500s. While France and Belgium argue about where 'fries' were invented, fried potato chips have been popular in England for a long time. The earliest known recipe for something like today's chips is in William Kitchiner's cookbook 'The Cook's Oracle', first published in 1817. 

A timeline 1860? - Some say the first fish and chip shop opened in London by Joseph Malin who sold "fish fried in the Jewish way". 

1863? - Others believe entrepreneur John Lees sold fish and chips from a wooden hut at Mossley market in Lancashire, near Oldham. 

1875-77 - The earliest purpose-built fishing boats were designed and made by David Allan in Leith in 1875, when he changed a drifter boat to use steam power. In 1877, he built the world's first steam trawler with a screw propeller. 

1899 - Alfred Hitchcock was born. As a boy he lived above his family's fish and chip shop in London. 

1937 - In the book 'The Road to Wigan Pier', George Orwell wrote that fish and chips helped keep the common people happy and "stopped change". 

1939-1945 - During World War 2, the government made sure fish and chips were never limited. 

1980s - Servings were often wrapped in old newspaper to keep costs down. This carried on until the 1980s when it became unsafe for food to touch newspaper ink without grease-proof paper in between.  

Source: Royal Museums Greenwich