The practice of breading and frying fish is credited to Jewish communities originally living in Spain and Portugal. Known as Sephardic Jews, the Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula thrived there since the eighth century, much of it under Moorish Muslim rule.
The situation changed dramatically in the 15th century. First, the Spanish Inquisition outlawed Judaism, sending Spanish Jews fleeing to neighboring Portugal. Then, in 1496, the Portuguese King Manuel I married Isabella of Spain, who insisted on the conversion or expulsion of Jews from Portugal, too.
Some Jews chose to remain in Spain and Portugal, many of them feigning conversion but living in secret as "crypto-Jews." But others chose to flee to other parts of Europe where they could live their religion freely. And wherever the Sephardic Jews traveled, they brought their rich culinary traditions.
Cooking is not allowed on the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat), which begins on sundown Friday night and ends on sundown Saturday. So Sephardic Jewish families would prepare food on Friday afternoon that would last the next 24 hours. Fried fish, lightly battered with flour or matzo meal, tasted just as good a day later.
According to the author and food enthusiast Simon Majumdar, Jewish immigrants to England took to selling fried fish in the streets from trays hung from their necks by leather straps. As early as 1781, a British cookbook author refers to "The Jews' way of preserving salmon and all sorts of fish," and Thomas Jefferson, after a visit to England, wrote about sampling "Fried fish in the Jewish fashion."
Even today, some hints of the Jewish origins of British fried fish remain. The sign hanging above Booba's Fish and Chips outside of London advertises "Matzo Meal, Batter, Grilled."
But it wasn't until the mid-19th century that Jewish-style fried fish fully made the cultural transfer from the streets of East London to the broader British populace. And for that, says historian Panikos Panayi, you can thank the railroad.
"For people without historical perspective, the internet is revolutionary, but the railway changes everything," says Panayi, author of "Fish and Chips: a History." "Now you can transport fresh fish from the sea to anywhere in Great Britain within a few hours. That's when fried fish really takes off."
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As an avid food historian and enthusiast with a deep understanding of culinary traditions, particularly those related to the migration of cultural practices, I can shed light on the fascinating journey of breading and frying fish and its credited origins to the Sephardic Jewish communities in Spain and Portugal.
The evidence supporting this culinary heritage is rooted in the historical context of Sephardic Jews thriving on the Iberian Peninsula since the eighth century, particularly under Moorish Muslim rule. The dramatic shift occurred in the 15th century with the Spanish Inquisition outlawing Judaism, prompting Spanish Jews to flee to neighboring Portugal. The situation intensified when, in 1496, the Portuguese King Manuel I married Isabella of Spain, leading to the expulsion or conversion of Jews from Portugal as well.
Many Sephardic Jews, facing these challenges, chose to either remain in Spain and Portugal, often pretending to convert while secretly practicing Judaism, or they fled to other parts of Europe. Wherever they went, they carried their rich culinary traditions, including the practice of breading and frying fish.
The article mentions that Sephardic Jewish families, adhering to the prohibition of cooking on the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat), would prepare food on Friday afternoon to last the next 24 hours. Fried fish, lightly battered with flour or matzo meal, became a staple that maintained its flavor even after a day.
To further substantiate the historical migration of this culinary tradition, the article cites Simon Majumdar, an author and food enthusiast, who notes that Jewish immigrants in England started selling fried fish in the streets as early as the 18th century. References from a British cookbook in 1781 and Thomas Jefferson's account after a visit to England underscore the presence of "Jews' way of preserving salmon and all sorts of fish" and sampling "Fried fish in the Jewish fashion," respectively.
The persistence of the Jewish influence on British fried fish is evident today, with establishments like Booba's Fish and Chips outside of London proudly advertising ingredients such as "Matzo Meal, Batter, Grilled." However, the cultural transfer of Jewish-style fried fish to the broader British populace reached its peak in the mid-19th century, thanks to the transformative impact of the railway. Historian Panikos Panayi, author of "Fish and Chips: a History," emphasizes how the railway revolutionized transportation, allowing fresh fish from the sea to reach anywhere in Great Britain within a few hours. This, according to Panayi, marked the moment when fried fish truly took off in British culture.
