MonTemplar's Journal: 'Fish & chips' not British? Quelle Horreur!

Top UK dish 'hooked French first'

It is thought to be the quintessential British meal, but new research claims the original idea for fish and chips came from Jewish and French dishes.

A study of the multicultural nature of UK cuisine suggests the meal was influenced by immigrants 150 years ago.

Professor Panikos Panayi of Leicester's De Montfort University has begun a £6,000 research project to investigate the global influence on British food.

He said fish and chips mixed "French frites with Jewish fish dishes".

Mr Panayi's research is expected to last two to three years and his findings will be published in a book called The Spicing Up of English Life.

He said: "In the middle of the 19th century the main concern of most sections of English society consisted of eating enough food of sufficient quality to stay alive, rather than displaying a concern about variety.

"Transformations between 1850 and 1945 included the emergence of fish and chips, influenced by both French and Jewish culinary traditions.

He said the origins of the dish were complex, but probably came about from the combination of French frites with Jewish fish dishes.

"It certainly isn't the traditional British food people might think, and of course the meal is often enjoyed with a cup of tea - the best example of the influence of the Empire on English eating and drinking habits."

I thought

[Organized Konfusion]

I thought Curry was the quintessential English dish

Chicken tikka masala

[Ethelred Unraed]

I thought Curry was the quintessential English dish

What's that they say? "It's as English as chicken tikka masala"? ;-)

Cheers,

Ethelred

bubble and squeak

[SolemnDragon]

Bubble and squeak and toad-in-the-hole, i'd say. Traditional british fare seems to be high-fat, high carb, and involve some dead beast. The tudors in particular made every meal a sacrifice; they centered whole meals around dead beasts, and would roast anything, from dolphins to pigeons, and what they couldn't roast they'd cook some other way. Jellied Eels are an intensely english dish. Not to mention Icky. *shudder*

And what about those mushy peas? That's one that it serves GWB right to have to eat.

Incid

Re:bubble and squeak

[Cyberdyne]

Bubble and squeak and toad-in-the-hole, i'd say. Traditional british fare seems to be high-fat, high carb, and involve some dead beast.

True, although your first example doesn't. The template for meals is pretty much "meat and two veg"; a meal without meat in isn't usually much of a meal. I'd have thought most dragons would like the idea of roast beast? ;-)

And what about those mushy peas? That's one that it serves GWB right to have to eat.

IMO they're very nice; presumably he'd met them before, since he

Re:bubble and squeak

[SolemnDragon]

proper bubble and squeak takes beef fat to make, because of the high cooking temp. I do like roast beast, although i confess to being very squaemish about it sometimes. (i was a vegetarian till my docs told me not to anymore)And i HATE mushy peas.

Re:bubble and squeak

[arb]

And i HATE mushy peas.

Then you'd prolly want to avoid Harry's Cafe de Wheels [harryscafe...els.com.au] in Sydney which offers Pie and Peas [harryscafe...els.com.au] when you visit Australia on your world tour.

Also, in Adelaide one of the "delicacies" there is the pie floater [lard.net] - a meat pie floating in a sea of pea soup. It has even made the State's "heritage list" [cooperspubs.com]. (Scroll about half-way down.)

But we don't do anything weird with food like that in Melbourne! ;-)

Re:bubble and squeak

[SolemnDragon]

'specially since i can't have wheat and so can't eat pies... *sigh* my mum had an awesome meat pie recipe that i wish she'd post for y'all... i miss meat pies!!!

I don't care where they come from...

[tuxette]

I LOVE FISH AND CHIPS!

Ah! Like lasagna is English?

[Ethelred Unraed]

What is the world coming to... [bbc.co.uk]

Re:Ah! Like lasagna is English?

[MonTemplar]

As reported in this very parish [slashdot.org], back on 15th July 2003.

Remember! Trust MT to bring you the really important events of the day! :-)

MT.

Heard something similar

[Tomble]

There was some program about food about a year and a half ago, I wasn't really watching it, but they were making Fish & Chips, and the woman presenting it said something about it being introduced to England by Jewish Portuguese knights long ago.

I can't imagine that there would have been many Jewish knights what with the levels of anti-semitism that used to be prevalent in Europe, but then, I was only half listening, so perhaps she didn't even say that at all.

Why do I feel like I've said all this befor