I. Reading

Read the text and match questions (A-F) with paragraphs (1-5). Write your answers on the answer sheet.

1

Not these days. For one thing, fish is becoming more and more expensive, and our tastes seem to be changing too. In any case, fish and chips only came to Britain less than 150 years ago, so it is not really such an old traditional dish. Fish and chips was probably a mixture of French 'frites' and Jewish fish recipes.

2

Some people say it is 'chicken tikka masala', a British curry dish. Like 'balti', it was invented in England by Bangladeshi immigrants. The British like gravy, or sauce, with their food, and this is very different from the food you might find in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.

3

Curry first appeared on a British menu in 1773, would you believe, so it is actually much older than fish and chips. Indian restaurants have been very popular in Britain for over thirty years. In fact, they are not really 'Indian'; most of them are operated by Bangladeshis.

4

No. You can find curry houses even in the smallest villages. There are over 9,000 of them all over Britain.

5

No, a lot of people cook their own curries at home. Sainsbury's, one of Britain's biggest supermarkets, sells 30,000 chicken tikka ready-meals a day, and you can buy chicken tikka masala flavoured crisps, pizzas, sandwiches and pasta sauce. British companies even sell it to India.

6

You can find almost anything in supermarkets these days, including 'fusion' food, which has influences from more than one culture. Afro-Caribbean food and Japanese style sushi bars are becoming more popular in London, and you will find Chinese, Greek, Mexican and Thai food in most British towns and cities.

7

As for "Fish and chips" it is deep-fried fish in batter with deep-fried potatoes, and a popular take away food. Fish and chips is originally from the United Kingdom, but also very popular in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and some coastal towns of the Netherlands and Norway; and also increasingly so in the United States and elsewhere. For decades it was the dominant (if not the only) take-away food in the United Kingdom.

8

Fish and chips have separately been eaten for many years - though the potato was not introduced to Europe until the 17th century. The originally Sephardi dish Pescado frito, or deep-fried fish, came to Netherlands and England with the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in the 17th and 18^th centuries

9

The fried potatoes are called chips in British and international usage; and while American English calls them French fries, the combination is still called "fish and chips". (Potato chips, an American innovation, are a different potato-derived food, and are known as crisps in the United Kingdom.)

10

The dish became popular in more widespread circles in London and the south-east in the middle of the 19th century (Charles Dickens mentions a "fried fish warehouse" in Oliver Twist) whilst in the north of England a trade in deep-fried "chipped" potatoes developed.

A.	Where is 'fish and chips' originally from?
B.	Is curry only eaten in restaurants?
C.	How long has curry been popular in Britain?
D.	What is the original name of 'fish and chips'?
E.	What other 'multicultural' food is popular in Britain
F.	What is an American innovation for chips?
G.	When and where did this dish become popular?
H	What is Britain's favourite food these days?
I.	Is fish and chips still Britain's national dish?
J.	Is curry popular just in London and other big cities?