Page 18 - TORCH Magazine Issue #6

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The Jewish Roots of Fish and Chips
From Wallace and Gromit to Del Boy and Rodney, Britain has always loved a good double-act. However, there has arguably never been a more famous duo than the humble sh ’n’ chips.
Winston Churchill referred to them as “good companions” and they were one of the few foods to avoid being subjected to food rationing in
both World Wars - the dish was so embedded
in the nation’s culture, the government saw
any limit to their availability would damage the country’s morale. Also in WWII, during the D-Day Landings, British soldiers used the national dish to identify each other on the eld of battle. Soldiers would call out “ sh” and listen out for “chips” in response.
Today Britons consume more than 382 million portions of sh and chips every year and spend over £1.2 billion in over 10,500 sh and chip shops around the country. It is clear then that sh and chips are the undisputed national dish of Great Britain. It fuelled the industrial revolution, helped Britain win two world wars and is instantly recognised around the world as a symbol of Britain... but where did it all begin?
Well, as the title suggests, sh and chips is another thing we have to thank the Jews for, as it was Jewish immigrants who rst introduced fried sh to Britain. Fleeing the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition in the 1500’s the Jews sought a new
life in England. Settling in East London the Jewish community, not wanting to face any further problems, hid their Jewish identity from their neighbours.
At the time, one of the popular traditions amongst Christians was to abstain from eating meat on
a Friday, as per the church’s instructions. This resulted in most British families eating sh on a Friday.