Fish finger

Lore & Background

The food restrictions during and after World War II expanded the consumption of fish fingers, but companies struggled to maintain decent quality. The commercialization of fish fingers may be traced to 1953 when Birds Eye (then part of Unilever) released them in the UK. The developer of those fish fingers was a team at Birds Eye, not Aaron L. Brody. According to Shelagh Wilson of the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, 'In 1929, Clarence Birdseye...sold his company and name...It was the grey-suited marketing men of Unilever who brought the fish stick concept to Britain.'

Reader's Guide

Fish fingers hold significance as a convenience food that became widely popular after World War II, particularly in the United Kingdom, where they are considered a symbolic national dish. Their development involved overcoming quality issues during wartime restrictions, and the commercial breakthrough came in 1953 with General Foods' Birds Eye label. The product's name was chosen by workers over alternatives like 'Battered Cod Pieces'. The preference for cod over herring in test markets shaped the standard recipe. Fish fingers are typically made from frozen blocks of minced whitefish, coated in batter or breadcrumbs, and sold in supermarkets. Variants include economy store brands using minced fish and specialty products like Findus' Crostinos with a chip coating. The dish remains a staple frozen food item, adaptable to various cooking methods.

Did You Know?

• The term 'fish finger' first appeared in print in 1955.
• The commercial fish finger was developed by a team at Birds Eye (Unilever) in the UK.
• Shoppers in Southampton and South Wales preferred cod fingers over herring savouries in a test market.
• The product was nearly called 'Battered Cod Pieces' before a worker poll chose 'Fish Fingers'.