This innovative and well-researched book unwraps the history of the UK’s most popular takeaway, fish and chips. Although we think of it as quintessentially British, fried fish was first introduced and sold by immigrant Jews before it spread to the British working classes during the course of the nineteenth century; by the twentieth century other migrant communities such as Italians and Greek Cypriots were playing a leading role in the fish and chip trade. Brimming with facts, anecdotes and historical and modern images, Fish and Chips will appeal to all interested in the story behind one of the world’s most iconic and popular meals.

‘This is the best history yet written of a British institution, alive to the cosmopolitan origins of food through global migration . . . a rewarding read for anyone interested in the history of Britain so good in fact that it made me venture out on a windy night to buy a fish supper at my traditional local chippie.’ — History Today; ‘an affectionate, sprightly and crisply informative history of our national obsession.’ — Daily Mail; ‘full of fascinating facts’ — The Spectator; ‘What a clever, accessible, enjoyable, and informative book! While providing an abundance of revealing anecdotes, it also goes beyond food to tackle relevant topics such as migration, identity, technology, entrepreneurship, and more . . . a wonderful book.’ — Gastronomica; ‘[a] scholarly account of the rise and enduring popularity of what Panayi presents as something of a cultural marvel.’ — TLS; ‘Fish and Chips is a book brimming with fascinating facts and anecdotes about a dish that can be found on menus compiled by both Michelin Star chefs and your local chippy down the road.’ — Oxford Times

Panikos Panayi is Professor of European History at De Montfort University and the author or editor of 25 books, including Life and Death in a German Town: Osnabrück from the Weimar Republic to World War Two and Beyond (2020), Spicing Up Britain: The Multicultural History of British Food (Reaktion, 2008) and Migrant City: A New History of London (2020).