Every nation has its typical dishes that can be found on every corner. We're not talking specifically about a wide range of ingredients, but rather what is consumed with unstoppable vigour almost every day. Two things should never be confused. The nation's food, or the nation of food. They have completely different meanings and different roots.
Food of the nation
It can be easily prepared by region and by country, depends on the raw materials available. Obviously, our country has not had the sea for a long time, so pork is the main dietary staple rather than fish. In Asia, rice and noodles are such. In America, almost national food all forms of meatballs, and when you think of Italians, pizza springs to mind. When we say England, which is the first food we think of?
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Fish and earth apples
So, if you say fish and chips, fish and chips will spring to mind. It's a traditional British dish. There's a shop on every corner, there's a shop on every street. fish & chips buffet, bistro, pub or restaurant. Consumed morning, noon, evening, and even casually. They use it for main meals and with a beer, it's as obvious to them as the rainy weather. Everybody thinks, that they are the origin of this pairing, but this is not true, it has only become a tradition with them!
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Fish & chips are actually Portuguese
Sephardic Jews living in what is now Portugal, who made up a quarter of the population, got into trouble over a marriage. King Manuel of Portugal fell in love, at least according to legend. He married Isabella of Aragon, heiress to the Castilian throne, for political reasons. The marriage was good for everyone except the Jews. And Isabella received a strange wedding present. Any Jew who refused to be baptised was driven out of Portugal. What could be done, the Jews took it upon themselves to emigrate all the way to England. They settled down nicely, lived for generations, and integrated themselves in the process. They mixed with the English kitchen with their own, the result of which was that the fried fish, usually made from cod, quickly became popular.
Yes, but where are the potatoes? Well, that came a bit later, because it was already known at the time, but not commonly used. But the story is that it is thought that the combination of potatoes and fish, fish and chips, was first sold together in the 1860s by a Jewish immigrant, Joseph Malins, in his simple street food shop. From there, it was rip-roaring.
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Fish & chips conquers the world
From the 1800s, of course, it's no wonder, as fishing became one of the most important industries in England. It was available in huge quantities - and therefore cheaply - even in the interior of the continent. Fish was filling, especially with potatoes, and was not a burden on the wallet. So it became a popular working-class dish and by the 19th century it was eaten by everyone. As a result, it began to be sold in countless places (as it still is today). It didn't take long for it to spread throughout the world. It has become a staple of British gastronomy, with seafood dipped in pancake batter and fried in oil, served with fried chips.
Interesting fact: the largest portion of fish and chips is 54.99 kg and was prepared at Resorts World Birmingham on 9 February 2018.
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No wonder it even has its own World Day
When asked what comes to mind when you think of English cuisine, most people will say a good heavy English breakfast with eggs or fish and chips. Nowadays, other street food like burgers and pizza have taken a back seat to fish and chips in the world, but on their day, that's all anyone wants to eat! National Fish and Chips Day was first celebrated in 2015, on the first Friday in June.
