Fish and Chips

Fish and chips is battered, deep-fried fish served with deep-fried potato chips, sold as a hot takeaway meal since the nineteenth century and widely regarded as the national dish of the United Kingdom. The first fish and chip shops opened in the 1860s, including ones credited to Joseph Malin in London and John Lees in Lancashire, and the combination quickly became a staple of the British working class; by 1910 more than 25,000 shops were trading across the country. Its importance to ordinary diets was recognized during both World Wars, when the British government kept fish and chips exempt from rationing to preserve morale and nutrition. The dish is traditionally wrapped and eaten by hand, seasoned with salt and malt vinegar, and remains one of the most widely eaten meals in Britain today.