When I selected the UK as one of my countries, I knew I had to do fish n' chips. My friends wholeheartedly agreed and so I began planning my fish n' chips party, my first event of 2012.
First - some fun facts about fish n' chips, considered by many to be the English national dish:
- Chips originated in either Belgium or France, depending on who you ask; fried fish was brought to England by Jewish immigrants from Portugal and Spain.
- The idea of serving fish and chips together likely orginated in England but no one knows where or when.
- Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, published in 1838, refers to a "fried fish warehouse" where the fish was served with bread or baked potatoes.
- Fish n' chips was one of the few foods never rationed during World War II, helping maintain morale on the homefront.
- The practice of serving fish n' chips wrapped in newspaper survived until the 1980's when newspaper ink was deemed unsafe to touch food.
One obvious answer: traditional condiments. Everyone knows about malt vinegar and my American friends would expect tartar sauce. I also discovered that curry sauce was a popular accompaniment at English fish n' chips shops or "chippies" as well as "brown sauce," a somewhat sweeter version of A1 steak sauce.
Mushy peas are the classic fish n' chips accompaniment. Traditionally, the dish consists of dried marrow fat peas soaked overnight and boiled to a mush-like puree. Although the traditional version does not sound appealing to American tastes, I did find some modernized recipes calling for fresh garden peas pureed with fresh mint. A simple green salad would also make an excellent accompaniment.
I needed at least one more dish to round out the meal. My friend Christi suggested a "ploughman's platter," a selection of cheeses, meats, and bread, as an appetizer. Then my friend Fleur jumped in with an offer to make traditional English cookies for dessert.
Planning completed!
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