Jul 30, 2022 12:00:00

A report on the British traditional dish 'jelly eel' that looks so shocking

Britain has a rich culture, including tea, music, and musicals, but British cuisine is relatively simple and rustic, leading to the reputation

that British food is bad . In particular, eel jelly, which is made by simmering chopped eel, cooling it, and solidifying it into a jelly-like consistency, is often cited by Japanese people, who also love eels, as a representative example of shocking British cuisine. To find out for myself what eel jelly tastes like, I ordered it in London, England, and tried it.

Jellied eel is known as a specialty of the East End of London. This time, I heard that you can eat jellied eel at a restaurant called ' Poppie's Fish and Chips ' in Shoreditch, East London, so I went there. The address is ' 30 Hawley Crescent, London NW1 8NP '.


Arrived at Poppie's Fish and Chips.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, I spotted 'JELLIED EELS' on the menu. It seemed like they did serve jellied eels here, so I ordered it right away.

While waiting for our jellied eel to arrive at our table, we took our time looking around the store. The walls were decorated with various panels and models of fighter planes and fire engines. Poppie's Fish and Chips was founded in 1952 and began as a fish and chips stand, opened by Pat Newland, known as Pop, at the age of 11. The toys displayed inside the store are said to be toys that Newland has collected since he was a child.

There were also photos that gave a sense of history on display.

Chefs are preparing food behind a glass window with the restaurant's logo painted on it.

Instead of beer or ale, I ordered sparkling water from

HILDON , a famous British water brand, with a slice of lemon in the glass.

And here is the eel jelly dish that was brought to the table. It cost 6.95 pounds (about 1,140 yen).

The appearance of this dish is exactly as its name suggests: 'A large amount of chopped eel is placed directly in a jelly sauce.' It has no color or decoration, and to be honest, it certainly doesn't look appetizing. Someone at the table commented, 'This might be a bit grotesque...' with some distaste. The eels used to make the jelly are

European eels .

One more slice of lemon...

It was served with a slice of bread spread with margarine.

First, I tried it without adding anything. It looked like just sliced eel. When I ate it, the eel was simply cut into chunks, leaving the bones, including the spine, intact. However, the eel was cooked so softly that it easily came off the bone, giving it a fluffy texture. However, it had almost no flavor and was very bland. The jelly portion was at room temperature, solidified only with gelatin, so it was quite soft and had a slightly runny texture. Tasting the jelly closely, I noticed a fish-based broth flavor, with a light salty taste. There was a slight fishy smell in the jelly, and a faint aroma reminiscent of something you might smell at a fishmonger's pub lingered in my mouth. However, it wasn't bad at all. While there was a slight fishy smell, it simply had a 'really bland' flavor, and honestly, I couldn't rate it as good or bad.

When I tried it with a squeeze of lemon that came with it, I felt that the fishy smell that I had when I ate it without any toppings disappeared. The fish stock-like taste and slight saltiness were complemented by the tartness of the lemon. This time I had it with carbonated water, but I got the impression that it would go well with sake or a slightly stronger alcoholic drink. My companion commented, 'This kind of delicacy seems like it would be on the menu of an izakaya delicacy menu, and if it was, I might order it.'

Still, I realized how important visual presentation is to food. The eel jelly was simply chopped eel simmered as is, so rather than eating a properly cooked dish, it felt more like eating a can of boiled mackerel.

Next, I tried adding malt vinegar. Poppie's Fish and Chips' malt vinegar was infused with chili peppers.

I tried it with a splash or two of malt vinegar, and just like with lemon, the acidity completely eliminated the fishy smell. The vinegar flavor was also a perfect complement to the otherwise simple jelly, and the unique aroma and acidity of the vinegar gave it a slightly exotic flavor. However, to be honest, it was quite bland, so I still didn't feel completely satisfied.

I tried it on bread spread with margarine. The bread had a very crumbly texture, which I thought didn't quite complement the jiggly jelly. However, the saltiness of the margarine gave it a slightly stronger flavor, and it did remove the fishy smell, so it might be a good way to eat it. When I actually tried it, the eel jelly wasn't 'bad' at all; the meat was fluffy and easy to eat, and it just had an incredibly bland flavor. It certainly did have a fishy smell, but that's not a negative thing, and it would be fine as a delicacy to pair with alcohol. However, the exquisitely bland flavor, slight fishy smell, and, above all, the shocking appearance will undoubtedly be a taste that is not to everyone's taste.

While I was there, I also tried fish and chips, a signature dish at Poppie's Fish and Chips since its founding and often cited as a quintessential British dish. There are several types of white fish used for the fries, including cod and haddock. Speaking to a local resident, I learned that just as Japanese people are divided into those who prefer bean paste (tsubuan) and those who prefer smooth bean paste, British people also have their own opinions about the filling of their fries, such as cod, haddock, and halibut. Apparently, the texture and flavor of each differ depending on the type and part of the fish.

So I ordered a regular size fish and chips at Cod, which cost 13.95 pounds (about 2,280 yen).

What surprised me the most was the size. I've ordered fish and chips in English pubs in Japan before, but I've never seen fries this big, so I was surprised.

The fly is roughly the same size as the iPhone 12 mini, with a long side of 131.5 mm.

The jar, labeled Poppie's Fish and Chips, contained tartar sauce.

When I tried it, the batter was freshly fried and crispy, with no fishy smell at all. The meat wasn't hard at all, but was incredibly fluffy and juicy, and it felt like it was falling apart in my mouth as I chewed it.

The fries were also crispy and had a nice salty flavor. Although they were deep fried, they weren't greasy or sticky, and I was able to fully enjoy the crispy exterior and the soft, fluffy texture of the potatoes inside.

And this is the haddock fish and chips ordered by my companion. I was told that 'the cod is firmer, while the haddock is softer,' so I tried them out. I didn't notice much difference, but if I had to say, the haddock seemed a little juicier.

Finally, the candy I received from the store as a palate cleanser was an

anise candy, which had a very unique flavor and was not recommended for people who don't like the smell of herbs.