2014 Fish and chips street vendor Chiang Mai

A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop, is a (often

fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredie ...

)

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

that specialises in selling

fish and chips Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created ...

. Usually, fish and chip shops provide

takeaway A take-out or takeout (U.S., Canada, and the Philippines); carry-out or to-go (Scotland and some dialects in the U.S. and Canada); takeaway (England, Wales, Australia, Lebanon, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and occasionally in Nort ...

service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and chip shops may also sell other foods, including variations on their core offering such as

battered sausage Battered sausages are a type of sausage found all across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. British and Irish battered sausage The battered sausage is a standard menu item in fish and chip shops across the United Kingdom an ...

and burgers, to regional cuisine such as

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

or Indian food. Variations on the name include fish bar, fishery (in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

), fish shop and chip shop. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

including

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

, they are colloquially known as a chippy or fishy, while in the rest of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

and the

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

area, they are known as chippers.

History

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, w ...

's Tommyfield Market in England marks the 1860s origin of the fish and chip shop and

industries. In 1928, Harry Ramsden's fast food restaurant chain opened in the UK. On a single day in 1952, his fish and chip shop in Guiseley,

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, served 10,000 portions of fish and chips, earning itself a place in the ''

Guinness Book Of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing worl ...

''.

Etymology

The word "chip-shop" is first recorded by the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...

'' in 1953. "Chippy" or "chippie" was first recorded in 1961. Occasionally the type of fish will be specified, as in 'Cod-n-Chips'.

Operations

Many British villages, suburbs, towns and cities have fish and chip shops, especially near coastal regions. Fish and chip outlets sell roughly 30% of all the white fish consumed in the United Kingdom, and they use 10% of the UK potato

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...

. In Ireland, many "chippers" are operated by Italian immigrant families, all native to the

Province of Frosinone The Province of Frosinone ( it, Provincia di Frosinone) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy, with 91 '' comuni'' (singular: ''comune''; see Comuni of the Province of Frosinone). Its capital is the city of Frosinone. It has an area o ...

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. The Italian chip shop tradition began with Giuseppe Cervi, who took a boat to America in the 1880s but instead disembarked at Queenstown (modern-day

Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

) and walked to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, establishing a takeaway at 22 Great Brunswick Street (modern-day Pearse Street).

Regional differences

Man at Fish and Chips Shop - Dhaka - Bangladesh (12831465363)

In Scotland, the fish tends to be haddock, whereas in England it tends to be cod. This is because both fish tend to be sourced from Scottish waters in the North Sea and then shipped around the UK. Haddock was thought to taste better than cod when fresh, while cod tasted better a few days later. In the days before refrigerated haulage this meant that haddock would taste bad by the time it made it out of Scotland, while the cod would still taste good if it took a few days to reach its destination. Hake, pollock, whiting, and plaice are also seen at many chip shops. In Scotland, 'special fish' is a variant where the haddock is breadcrumbed instead of battered. A number of fish and chip shop condiments exist, including salt and vinegar (very often actually

non-brewed condiment Non-brewed condiment is a malt vinegar substitute created with water, acetic acid, flavourings and often caramel colour, sometimes used in fish-and-chip shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is also used in salads. Traditional vinegars are ...

) across the UK, mushy peas and curry sauce in various parts of the UK, chip spice in Hull, chippy sauce in Edinburgh, gravy across much of the UK, mushy pea and mint sauce in Nottingham, and gravy and cheese in Yorkshire. In Canada, most shops offer malt vinegar or the option to add gravy, usually for a small charge. There are also regional variations with the oil used to cook the fish and chips. Traditional frying uses beef dripping or lard, which are still used in the Midlands and the North; however, vegetable oils, such as palm oil, rapeseed or peanut oil (used because of its relatively high smoke point) now predominate, particularly in the South. There are also a number of other offerings at fish and chip shops that do not involve fish, such as the

. It is now generally rare to find a fish and chip shop that offers no main course besides fish and chips in the UK. Burgers, pies, pasties, pizzas, sausages, kebabs and chicken (all of which may or may not be served or bought with chips) are all regular menu items in many outlets. Many also offer chips with topping options such as cheese, mushy peas, gravy or curry sauce. In Australia, a common variant of the fish and chip shop is one that sells charcoal chicken in addition to the usual battered fish and related foods. There are also regional variations across the UK, including: * Pastie in Northern Ireland * Potato scallops in the West Midlands (a deep-fried slice of potato) * Deep fried Mars bars in Scotland *

Red pudding Red pudding is a meat dish served mainly at chip shops in some areas of Scotland. Red pudding is associated with the east of Scotland, particularly Fife, but has become less common in recent years.Pukka Pies Pukka Pies is a manufacturer of pies based in Syston, Leicestershire, England. Products The company's products include single-serve and sharing pies, sausage rolls, pasties, catering sausages, frozen puff pastry, and non-meat foods, with ...

in England * Saveloy in London * Faggots in Coventry and the

Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ...

* Batter bits in Leeds and the North * Battered roe in the West Midlands * Orange Chips or Battered Chips in the Black Country * Pizza Crunch in Glasgow *

Pickled onion Pickled onions are a food item consisting of onions (cultivars of '' Allium cepa'') pickled in a solution of vinegar and salt, often with other preservatives and flavourings.white pudding in Scotland and Northern Ireland * Deep fried haggis as a supper across Scotland. As "Haggis Balls" in Glasgow or "Haggis Bon-Bons" in Edinburgh. * Pea fritters * Yorkshire Fishcake *

Rag pudding Rag pudding is a savoury dish consisting of minced meat and onions wrapped in a suet pastry, which is then cooked in a cheesecloth. Invented in Oldham, the dish is also popular in Bury and Rochdale, and is eaten across the Lancashire area. Rag pu ...

* Butter pie in Lancashire * Doner kebab in the Midlands and other parts of the UK *

Scampi Scampi, also called Dublin Bay Prawn or Norway Lobster ('' Nephrops norvegicus''), is an edible lobster of the order '' Decapoda''. It is widespread in the Mediterranean and northeastern Atlantic, from North Africa to Norway and Iceland, and ...

in various parts of the UK * Chip butty in various parts of the UK * Steak and kidney pie in various parts of the UK * Babies 'Yed in the North West of England * Light-fried half chicken in the Midlands and other parts of the UK * Spam fritters in various parts of the UK * Rock in Cornwall and the south * Lemon sole in Cornwall and the south * Rissoles in South Wales * Wigan Kebab (meat and potato pie in a buttered barm) in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington ...

* Pasty barm in Bolton There are also variations in the fish and chip shops in nations and former nations of the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

: * " Burger With The Lot" or "Works Burger" in Australia and New Zealand *

Poutine Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec, in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain and there are several competing claims regarding it ...

in Canada * Dim sims in Australia and New Zealand *

Chiko Roll The Chiko Roll is an Australian savoury snack invented by Frank McEncroe, inspired by the Chinese spring roll and first sold in 1951 as the "Chicken Roll" despite not actually containing chicken. The snack was designed to be easily eaten on the ...

s in Australia * Spice Burger in Ireland * Hot sandwiches (usually chicken or turkey with peas and gravy) in Canada

References

External links

*{{Commons category inline, Fish and chip shops Restaurants in the United Kingdom Restaurants by type