HappyClampers! By Andrew Rogers Chippy Chat Journalist
Located on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Clamshell is as steeped in history as the street on which it resides. Chippy Chat popped in over Hogmanay to meet current proprietor Massimo Andreucci, sample the wares –– and explore the rich Italian tradition of Scotland’s chip shop heritage
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hile fish & chips is considered quintessentially British by the wider public, seasoned readers of Chippy Chat will know there are many theories as to the global origins of the nation’s favourite dish. What is indisputable however – although not so widely known – is the key role played by Italians in the rise to prominence of the local chippy in the British Isles, most notably in Scotland. An estimated 4000 Italian immigrants arrived in Alba between 1890 and 1914, mostly from poor rural areas such as Lucca and Frasinore. Many walked or grabbed lifts on horse & carts as they made their way from southern Europe to the north of the UK. Seeing the popularity of fish and
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Chippy Chat & Fast Food Magazine • March 2022
chips on their way through London, the travellers soon started making the trade their own, with shops often doubling as ice-cream parlours. Such outlets required minimal investment and any Italian worth his salt knew how to fry cod. Chip shops grew up first in and around the Little Italy’s and spread to industrial areas where large numbers of workers lived. By the time World War One broke out Scotland was home to 4,500 chippers, with an estimated 800,000 fish suppers being sold every week in Glasgow alone. A great number were cooked by Italians and over a century later the Andreucci family who run the Clamshell in Edinburgh are maintaining a proud tradition. The first fish & chip shop at 148 High Street on the Royal Mile was opened in the 1950s by Paolo Crolla, who had spent the previous decade running the chippy at number 180, today the colourful office of the Edinburgh Fringe. Initially called the New Restaurant, number 148 was renamed the Clamshell by Antonio (Paolo’s son) and his wife Dorothy who ran the shop for many years. The couple famously described haggis in many different languages to tourists in their shop window, tempting them to try
Chippy Chat & Fast Food Magazine • March 2022
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