Jellied eels is a traditional English dish that originated in the 18th century, primarily in London's East End

East End of London

The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...

. The dish consists of chopped eel

Eel

Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...

s boiled in a spiced stock

Stock (food)

Stock is a flavoured water preparation. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces.- Preparation :Stock is made by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following...

 that is allowed to cool and set, forming a jelly. It can be eaten hot or cold.

History

The eel was a cheap, nutritious and readily available food source for the people of London; European eels were once so common in the Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 that nets were set as far upriver as London itself, and eels became a staple

Staple food

A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...

 for London's poor.

The first "Eel Pie & Mash Houses" opened in London in the 18th century, and the oldest surviving shop - M Manze - has been open since 1902.

Although jellied eels are nowhere near as popular today as they were - at the end of the Second World War there were as many as a hundred Eel Pie & Mash Houses in London - they can still be found in the Eel Pie & Mash Houses that remain, and in some supermarkets. The water quality of the Thames has improved since the 1960s and is now suitable for recolonisation by eels - indeed, the Environment Agency

Environment Agency

The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...

 supports a Thames fishery, allowing nets as far upriver as Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...

 - but lessened demand for cheap nutrition, competition from other foods and changing tastes mean that they have been marginalised.

Preparation

The dish is traditionally prepared using the freshwater eels

European eel

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is a species of eel, a snake-like, catadromous fish. They can reach in exceptional cases a length of 1½ m, but are normally much smaller, about 60–80 cm, and rarely more than 1 m....

 native to Britain. Typically, the eels are chopped into rounds and boiled in water and vinegar, to make a fish stock, with nutmeg and lemon juice before being allowed to cool. The eel is a naturally gelatinous fish so the cooking process releases proteins, like collagen, into the liquid which solidify on cooling to form a jelly, though gelatin

Gelatin

Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...

 may be added in order to aid this process. Recipes for jellied eels are individual to particular London pie and mash shops, and also street sellers; however, traditional recipes for authentic Victorian jellied eels all have common ingredients and cooking methods, what alters is the choice of herbs and spices used to flavour the dish.

Jellied eels are often sold with pie and mash

Pie and mash

Pie and mash is a traditional London working-class food.-History:Pie, mash and stewed eels shops have been in London since the 19th century and are still common in south and east London, in many parts of Essex and in places abroad, particularly Australia - where there are significant expatriate...

 - another traditional East End food - and eaten with chilli

Chili pepper

Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...

 vinegar

Vinegar

Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...

.

Outside the UK

Italy has a similar dish known simply as anguilla (simply "eel"), which is eaten with balsamic

Balsamic vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is a condiment originating from Italy.The original traditional product , made from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice and not a vinegar in the usual sense, has been made in Modena and Reggio Emilia since the Middle Ages: the production of the balsamic vinegar is...

rather than chili vinegar. In France the dish is known as aspic d'anguille, and in Germany as Aal in Aspik; both terms mean "jellied eel". Spain as well has eel dishes, most notably angulas which are baby eels usually served sauteed in olive oil, garlic and a chili pepper. However, the Spanish dish angulas is now very expensive due to the rarity of the baby eels now after overfishing and the Spaniards' appetites for the tiny eels (a small serving of angulas can fetch up to the equivalent of $US100 or more; however, there are also imitation angulas which can be purchased rather cheaply.)

External links

• Website dedicated to an appreciation of Pie, Mash and Eels. Crammed full of information
• The website of Barneys Seafood with links to their eels and stories about Eastend food culture and social history - please get in touch if you enjoy your jellied eels.
• Background
• Jellied eels story at The Guardian, 8 April 2002
• Jellied Eel Recipe - Historical Foods
• Jellied Eel is also the name of the quarterly magazine of London Food Link , the network for food businesses, writers and campaigners promoting healthy and sustainable food in London (UK on the website of Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
• Website of the famous East London supplier of jellied eels