Fish and Chip Facts

Fish and chip outlets sell approximately 25% of all the white fish consumed in the UK today – here at Amity we are proud suppliers of some of the UK’s highest rated fish and chip outlets.

However, the origins of fish and chips goes way back to the 19th century. 

Fish and Chips - which came first? Well that we do know - it was the fish. 

The tradition of eating fish coated with flour and fried in oil can be traced back to the early 1800s. Even Charles Dickens mentions the concept of fish and chips in both Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities.

We know that the first ‘chip’ was sold in Dundee a little later before they were paired, forming the most delicious dish!

But when did this happen and where? There is disagreement here with both London and Lancashire claiming to be the birthplace of fish and chips. 

A fish and chip shop was opened in London in the 1860s by Joseph Malin, who opened a shop selling fried potato.  Young Joseph convinced his family to include fried fish to the menu, which became a great success.

However, others believe that a man called John Lees was the first to open a fish and chip shop in the UK. Records around the 1860s show him selling fish and chips out of a wooden hut at Mossley market in Lancashire.

We may never know for sure who is correct!

What we can be certain of is the longest running fish and chip shop, still in operation by Yeaden, Leeds. “The Oldest Fish & Chip Shop in the World” has apparently been serving the dish since 1865.

By 1910 there were 25,000 fish and chip shops in the UK and by 1927 there were over 35,000! As of 2020 that figure stands at over 10,500.

NEWSFLASH

It was common place to use newspaper to wrap your fish and chips until quite recently but do you know why? Answer: To keep the cost down! However, since 1980 it was declared unsafe to have food stuffs touching the newspaper and so nowadays you will find your fish supper wrapped with grease-proof paper. There may be a layer of newspaper on top of that but only for show!

NOT AS BAD AS YOU MAY THINK

The assumption is that fried foods such as fish and chips would be bad for you but there are also benefits.

• A fish supper contains 7.3% fat – but by comparison a pork pie has 10.8% fat!
• Fish and chips with peas provides a third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins.
• It is quicker to fry food than to cook in the oven – therefore more of the nutrients and vitamins are retained through the cooking process.

ACROSS THE GLOBE

Although beloved here, fish and chips can also be found in other areas of the world, with a few regional tweaks! In Belgium they eat their fish and chips with mayonnaise – in China they accompany it with sugar! The word ‘batter’ also comes from French and the word ‘battre’ which means ‘to beat’ – in reference to whisking flour and water together.

RECORD BREAKING

Did you know the record number of fish and chip portions sold in one day belogs to Marini’s of Glasgow. In 1999 they sold 12,406 portions in a day!