Fish & Chips: More Than Just a Friday Night Dinner

There are few meals that feel quite as British as fish and chips.

Whether it’s eaten beside the seaside, from a paper-wrapped portion on the way home, or from a plate with far too much salt and vinegar, fish and chips has somehow managed to become much more than just a meal.

It is an institution.

So, where did it come from?

Fish and chips became popular in Britain during the 19th century, although nobody is entirely sure who deserves the credit for putting the two together.

Fried fish was already popular, particularly in London, while fried potatoes were becoming increasingly common. At some point, someone presumably decided that putting them together was a good idea.

They weren’t wrong.

The first fish and chip shops began appearing in the mid-1800s, and the idea quickly spread across the country. By the early 20th century, fish and chips had become one of Britain’s favourite inexpensive meals.

What makes a good one?

This is where things get serious.

Ask ten people what makes the perfect fish and chips and you’ll probably get ten different answers.

The fish should be fresh, the batter crisp and golden, and the chips should be thick enough to actually taste of potato. Some people insist on cod. Others prefer haddock.

Then there are the important extras.

Salt and vinegar is the traditional combination, although whether the vinegar should go on before or after the salt is capable of starting a surprisingly heated argument.

Mushy peas are another matter entirely. Some people wouldn’t dream of having fish and chips without them. Others regard them as an unnecessary green interruption.

And then there is the sauce question: curry sauce, gravy, or neither?

There are no easy answers.

The seaside test

Perhaps the best thing about fish and chips is that it doesn’t need to be complicated.

A portion eaten outside on a sunny day, preferably somewhere overlooking the sea, somehow tastes better than the same meal eaten anywhere else.

There is probably no scientific explanation for this.

The chips might be exactly the same. The fish might be cooked in exactly the same way. But add a bit of sea air, a seagull waiting suspiciously nearby and the possibility of losing a chip to the wind, and suddenly it’s a completely different experience.

Still going strong

More than 150 years after fish and chips first became popular, the basic idea hasn’t changed much.

Fish. Potatoes. Batter. A few extras.

Sometimes the simplest things really are the best.

And if you’re going to eat it beside the sea, don’t forget the seagulls.

They’re probably already watching.