London from and to: Fish new wave

You know how wrapped and scribbling the oil when the fish is thrown into it in the dough? Probably yes. If not, you can get acquainted with this sound in almost every London Quarter.

In Covent Garden, in the center of London, it is so embarrassing and smooths for more than 130 years, because more than 130 years are preparing the most popular English dish in this place – Fish & CHIPS – Fried in Klyar Fish with Potato Fries.

Eino Rock and Sole Place – what sounds like "reliable and spiritual place", but writes as "Nalim and Kambala" – is now the oldest place for selling Fish & Chips in London. The current owner, Ismet Hasan, originally from the Turkish honor of Cyprus, proudly declares that "This is the main English traditional food: cod, pike or flounder with the best fried potatoes! Much better than any artificial products that are now used in cooking!"

Not quite a politically correct observer may notice some contradiction in the fact that the Turk-Cypriot immigrated to England became an english culinary tradition. But the mixture of traditions is the history of modern London. And still – this is the history of the appearance of Fish & Chips.

His own is well an alien

That conclusions came after studying this problem Guy Daimond, the main restaurant critic of the London magazine "Time-out". "Pretty funny that Fish & Chips is considered almost the main specimen of British cuisine. But London is a city of immigrants, and is such a hundred years. So FRI potato is, of course, the French dish. It appeared in France, became very popular in Belgium, and from there in the 19th century fell into London, and then the rest of England".

"As for roasted fish, the tradition to fry fish in a grain to bring to London at the beginning of the 16th century expelled from Portugal and Spain Jews. Of course, in England and before that they prepared fish, but – on the grill. And the first shop in which they sold fried fish with potatoes, opened in 1860, it was in the Jewish quarter of London East End".

But the english traditions should not be lost in complete despair. Then the dish who sold in his shop in the East End is an immigrant from Eastern Europe, Joseph Malin, was still not a classic Fish & Chips. Classic combination of components – fried in a klyar Fish, along with coastal rectangles of potatoes – appeared a few years later in Lancashire, in the north of England, and from there made a rapid victorious march to London.

According to Gaya Daimond, this victory became a by-product of the industrial revolution: "The instant popularity of this dish was explained by the presence in London and cities in the north of England larger masses who did not have normal housing, and, accordingly, the ability to prepare themselves in the kitchen. The industrial revolution led to the development of the fishing fleet and to reduce the cost of fish. Cod or Kambala with Potato Fries became the first example of the real fast food".

Fish new wave

In many places selling Fish & CHIPS Now there are tables, but they still work first as Take-Away, that is, they are preparing to take place. What has changed, and quite radically, so this is a packaging. Another 20 years ago fish & Chips in London wrapped exclusively in the newspaper. Now – served in cardboard boxes.

The elegance of the interior and packaging is especially striking in the so-called "Cafe Fish & Chips new wave". One of those – "Sea cow" – Located in fashionable now the Clapem area in the south of London, on the other side of the Thames from "Cambals and Nalima".

Owner "Sea cow" Dan Ricby brings me to the counter, which this very new wave threw an exotic fish-sword, Sybas, bream, Luciana. And also to pain acquaintances Cod, Cambalu and Picksha.

"What we do is Fish & chips, just a more prestigious version of Fish & chips, – explains Dan. – And it’s not only in the diversity of fish and dilution of tradition exotic. We can roast a cod with Fry’s potatoes. But 90 percent of our fish we are preparing grilled. Grilled cod to fry meaninglessly – she is cut. Therefore, we offer a lot of new and unusual varieties of fresh fish, we are putting it on the grill with you, instead of potatoes we can offer a godball salad – what could be better?"

Indeed, what could be better than new, which is actually well forgotten old? After all, as we now know, fish in England was prepared on the grill before Fish appeared & Chips.

All thing in oil

And if for Dana Ricby is all the case – in the grill, then in the oldest Fish & Chips London is all about – in oil. At least this is how I explained to me, standing at the bugger Chan, the son of the owner "Nalima and Cambala", Ali.

"Our main secret is how to use oil. It is generally the most important for Fish and Chips – know when to put fish into the oil at what temperature. We use peanut butter, it is easier vegetable, does not leave the feeling of gravity. Some use pork fat, and in the north of England still popular beef fat. But we believe that peanut butter is the most useful. And so, we bring it to the condition, I lower the fish, and seven or eight minutes it pops up – all, your portion is ready!"

It sounds simple, it turns out delicious, and most importantly, relatively cheap – even exotic Fish and Chips of the new waves are not more expensive than seven pounds. According to Gaya Daimond, it is this democratic cheapness and contributes to non-optimability of Fish and Chips in an increasingly cosmopolitanized culinary world of London.

In general, it turns out that the fish in a french fries – this is the perfect London symbol. And, by the way, by tradition, another component is often added to this symbol – mashed peas.