Fish and Chips - England's Favorite Dish.
There is nothing more British than fish and chips. Freshly fried, piping hot fish and chips, smothered in salt and doused in vinegar cannot be beaten on a cold and wintry English day. As a matter of fact, it is considered to be a Great British institution.
You may ask where did this famous, British culinary delight originate? We cannot be sure of its origin, but we do know that fish and chips developed separately. It is believed that Sir Walter Raleigh brought the potato to England from the New World, although the French invented the chip. Charles Dickens referred to a "fried fish warehouse" in his 1839 classic, "Oliver Twist." Both Lancashire and London claim to be the first to invent this famous meal. Chips were a cheap, staple food of the industrial north while fried fish was introduced to London's East End. The great fish and chip trade grew from these small businesses, which sold fish and chips separately in the streets and alleys. The public soon decided that fried fish and chips made an excellent combination, thus the national dish of England was born.
There are two theories as to where the first fish and chip shop opened. It is said the first shop opened north of London in Mossely, near Oldham, Lancashire, around 1863. Mr. Lees sold fish and chips from a wooden hut in the market and later transferred the business to a permanent shop across the road. In the window there was the following inscription, "This is the first fish and chip shop in the world." However in London, it is claimed that in 1860 Joseph Malin opened a fish and chip shop on Cleveland St. within the sound of Bow Bells.
By the late 19th century fish and chip shops were commonplace. The original shops were small family businesses run from the front rooms their house. Through the later part of the 19th century, and well into the 20th century, the fish and chip trade expanded greatly to satisfy the needs of the growing industrial population of Great Britain.
