History of Fish and chips

Chips were probably invented in France or Belgium in the 17th century as an alternative to fish, which became scarce during harsh winters when the river froze over.

Fish and chips came together in Britain in the 19th century. They grew out of existing petty traders in fried fish and cooked potatoes, which were carried on separately in the streets and alleys of London and some of the industrial towns.

Before that, by late 1830s, fried fish was commonly being sold with bread as a quick and nutritious snack. There were hypothesis that the inspiration for the dish came from Jewish community in London who commonly coated their fish with matzo meal and then fried it before eating it cold.

Fish n chips

The first recorded fish and chip shops appear in London and the north during the 1860s, the legend being that fish fryers would throw pieces of potato into the oil to cool it when overheated and would sell or even give away the resulting ‘chips’ to their customers.

It was said that John Lee’s created a concept of fish and chips in 1863 in Mossley, Manchester.

Joseph Malin is credited with opening the first combined fish and chips shop in London in the 1860. He set up shop in the East End of London and saw the birth of  a business that took off as commercial fishing became more efficient. Malin’s has survived and its recipe for fish and chips is reportedly used by Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips chain the United States.

By the 1930s, a chain of Harry Ramsden’s Huts was catering to the take-out trade in battered fish; in 1952, the company broke a record, selling 10,000 servings of fish and chips in one day.

Historically, fish and chips were wrapped in white paper and an outer layer of newspapers. Newspapers are no longer used owing to the health concerns of ink running off in hands and food.
History of Fish and chips