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Eighty per cent of the British population say they visit a fish and chip shop at least once a year， and we consume 382 million meals from the chippie per annum。

百分之八十的英國人稱他們至少每年去一次炸魚薯條店，我們每年在炸魚薯條店消費3。82億餐。

That‘s pretty impressive for a combination that’s only been with us for around 150 years – for the first fish and chip shop only appeared in around 1860。

對於這個只有150年曆史的組合來說，這個數字相當可觀——在1860年左右，炸魚薯條店才第一次出現。

Separately， both fried fish， and chips， were enjoyed by the British well before they came together。

在成為組合之前，炸魚和薯條分別受到了廣大英國百姓的喜愛。

Chips as a term for something edible was in use in the 18th Century， often in relation， rather curiously， to oranges - orange chips were candied chunks of peel。

在18世紀，薯片作為一個可食用物的術語為人所使用，很奇怪的是，它常常與橙子有關——橙子薯片是橙子皮做成的大塊糖果。

It was in the same century that the potato was going from knobbly curiosity to staple food， especially for the poor， and given how well potatoes lend themselves to deep frying， it was inescapable that potato chips would soon be on the scene。

也是在18世紀，土豆從滿是疙瘩的奇物變成了餐桌上的主食，於窮人而言更是如此。鑑於土豆適合油炸，薯片就應運而生了。

By the Victorian era， chipped potatoes were everywhere， from the delicate little ‘straw potatoes’ - which resembled， well， straw - eaten by the rich， to the French street food， which Dickens described as “husky chips of potatoes fried with some reluctant drops of oil”。

到了維多利亞時代，土豆片隨處可見，從精緻的富人吃的小“稻草薯條”——形似稻草——到法國街頭小吃，狄更斯稱之為“用幾滴不情願用的油油炸的粗糙土豆片”。

The British preferred baked potatoes， but they ate them fried too。

英國人喜歡烤土豆，但他們也吃油炸的。

Fried fish， meanwhile， was also on the tables of the rich and the poor。

與此同時，炸魚也是富人和窮人的吃食。

Bread-crumbed filets， delicately fried in butter and garnished with fried parsley， were a staple for upmarket meals。

麵包糠魚片，用黃油精心油炸，再配上油炸西芹，就成了高檔餐點的主食之一。

Whitebait， fried in lard， were considered a delicious delicacy。

油炸銀魚被認為是美味佳餚。

But there was another place fried fish could be bought， and that was the street - in the Jewish quarters of London and other big cities。

但是還有另外一個地方可以買到炸魚，那就是街上——在倫敦和其他大城市的猶太人區。

There， Sephardic Jews sold cold fried fish intended for eating on the Sabbath when no cooking was allowed in Jewish homes。

在那裡，西班牙系猶太人出售冷凍炸魚，以備在安息日食用，因為那天猶太家中不允許烹飪。

It quickly took off， being cheap， filling and tasty， and fried fish shops and market stalls - hot and cold - sprung up in cities across the UK。 It was inevitable that these two street foods， so popular with the masses， would end up being sold in combination。

炸魚迅速流行開來，因為它價格便宜、餡豐滿、味道鮮美，炸魚商店和市場攤位——出售現做或冷凍的炸魚——在英國各地的城市如雨後春筍般湧現。不可避免地，這兩種深受大眾歡迎的街頭食品最終會組合出售。

It proved a winning formula and fish and chip shops took off immediately。

事實證明，這是一個成功的配方，炸魚薯條店一片繁榮。

Trawl fishing and the railway boom of the 1870s helped fish to reach inland areas quicker than ever before， and potatoes were already grown everywhere。

19世紀70年代，拖網捕魚和鐵路繁榮讓魚類史無前例地快速送達內陸地區，土豆業已在各地種植。

By 1910 there were 25，000 fish and chip shops in the UK， and by 1929 there were 10，000 more。

截至1910年，英國的炸魚薯片商店有25，000家，但到了1929年，這種商店又增加了10，000個。

Such was the hold of fish and chips - and its genuine goodness， especially for its mainly working-class consumers - that during the Second World War， fish and chips remained off the ration， though the type of fish available was not always the most delicious or desirable of species。

這就是一盤炸魚薯片，它營養價值高，尤其是對其主要的工人階級消費者而言——在第二次世界大戰期間，魚和薯條一直無法定量供應，儘管可供使用的魚並不總是最美味或最受歡迎的品種。

Across the UK， accompaniments vary - from the mushy peas of the north， to curry sauce， ketchup， mayonnaise or the chip shop spice which is on every counter in Hull。

在英國各地，炸魚薯片的配菜各不相同——從北方的豌豆泥到赫爾每個櫃檯上的咖哩醬、番茄醬、蛋黃醬或薯片店的香料。

Salt and vinegar remain the staples。

鹽和醋仍然是最主要的。

In the 21st Century chippie， vegetable fats have often replaced beef dripping or lard for frying。

在21世紀的炸魚薯條店中，植物油經常代替牛油或豬油用於油炸。 ［eu soft］

Newspaper used to be the wrapping of choice - outlawed， unless fresh from the printers and unsullied by readers‘ hands， in 1968。

報紙曾經是人們首選的包裝材料——而在1968年，除非報紙剛從印刷廠出來，並且沒有被讀者弄髒，否則用報紙包裝是非法的。

Now it’s mainly plain paper and polystyrene， but the skillful wrapping and excitement of unwrapping remains。

現在主要的包裝材料是普通紙張和聚苯乙烯，但巧妙的包裝和拆開包裝時的興奮感仍然存在。

There are， however， fish and chips… and fish and chips。

然而，拆開包裝都是炸魚薯條……和炸魚薯條。

Witness the disappointment on the faces of tourists， lured by the promise of a great British delicacy， only to find they‘ve happened upon the bad version， all grease and soggy batter。

看看遊客們臉上失望的神情，他們為英國的美食所吸引，卻買到了不好吃的那一種——又油膩又潮溼。

But then when it’s good… well， it‘s crispy and fluffy， with a hit of vinegar， and a punch of salt。

但如果你買到地道好吃的炸魚薯條……嗯，加上一點醋和一些鹽，它又脆又蓬鬆。

It’s unbeatable。

簡直無懈可擊。