Fish and chips

Fish and chips is a typical UK take-away food. It consists of deep-fried fish in batter or breadcrumbs served with a portion of potato chips. Different types of fish are used: haddock and cod are the most common but some vendors also use other white fish such as pollock. One can trace back the origin of the fish and chips in the second half of the nineteenth century. At that time, it was a cheap and popular food among the working classes. At the beginning, it was wrapped into very absorbing papers such as newspapers. An interesting thing to notice is that fish and chips was one of the only product to remain unrationed during World War II. It is now one of the most popular take-away food in the UK, in New Zealand and also in Australia. Haddock and cod are mainly used in the UK, snapper in New Zealand and reef-cod and flake (a sort of shark) in Australia. Nowadays, there is in nearly every town a fish and chips shop. These are also called the chippies in modern English slang. The fish and chips shops sell 25% of the white fish that is eaten in the UK every year. As far as the potatoes are concerned, 10% of the UK’s production is eaten in the fish and chips outlets. Following a recent survey, one learns that the British eat 260 millions fish and chips in 8000 outlets every year, which represents half a million a week. As well as tea-time, this British invention is envied by the whole world!