00:00Deep-fried fish, thick-cut potato fries, and a side of mushy peas.
00:08Winston Churchill himself called the humble fish and chips the good companions.
00:13To each other, yes, but also to the British public.
00:17So why is this rather ordinary-sounding dish not just any other popular food, but a British
00:23institution?
00:25According to the book Fish and Chips, A History, both the cities of Lancashire and London stake
00:31a claim to being the first to invent this famous meal.
00:34Fries, or as the British like to call them, chips, were a cheap staple food of the industrial
00:40North, while fried fish was introduced in London's East End in 1830.
00:45The first fish and chip shop opened in London on Cleveland Street in 1860.
00:50The dish is so popular because fish and chips were among the few foods that were not rationed
00:56during the Second World War, so it was an invaluable supplement to a British family's
01:01weekly diet.
01:02Today, the golden brown fish, fried chips, and side of mushy peas is the national dish
01:08of England, and continues to be one of the most popular menu items ordered all over the
01:13country.
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