Fish and chips was popularised by Jewish immigrants and rail links that brought fresh fish to cities

pop & funWikipediamid-19th century · Britain

Fish and chips was popularised by Jewish immigrants and rail links that brought fresh fish to cities

the gist

Fish and chips came together in Britain from two separate traditions: fried fish, brought by Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants, and deep-fried potato chips, which appeared in northern England by the mid-19th century. Fried fish from Jewish cooking reached London in the 1850s, and Joseph Malin is credited with opening one of the first combined shops in Bow, East London, around 1860. Trawl fishing in the North Sea and railways that carried fresh fish to industrial cities turned the meal into a working-class staple. By 1910 there were over 25,000 fish and chip shops across the United Kingdom.

so what

Fish and chips became cheap, filling food for industrial workers, and it was one of the few foods not rationed during the Second World War. Its growth shows how transport technology and migration shaped everyday British eating.

fun fact

Fish and chips was one of the few foods in the United Kingdom not subject to rationing during the Second World War.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗