Fish & Chips: Uncovering the Forgotten Jewish and Belgian Origins of the Iconic British Dish

Fish & chips: a golden hunk of battered cod, accompanied by
thick-cut French fries, lightly sprinkled with malt vinegar, and
wrapped up in a newspaper.... It's as British as cricket,
cream teas, the class system, and colonialism, but it's actually
the relatively recent marriage of a Jewish fish-frying tradition
and a Franco-Belgian potato snack. What's more, in something of a
twist, the fish itself—cod, a burly bottom-feeder with tender,
flaky white flesh—ended up helping fuel U.S. independence. This
episode, we're telling the peculiar story of how two non-British
foods became such a quintessentially British dish—and how our
appetites transformed international relations, as well
as an entire ocean ecosystem. Learn more about your ad
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