8 Well Known 'British' Things That Aren't Actually All That British....

These would all be missing from our lives if UKIP had their way...

1. Tea

tea.co.uk

Whether it's Jean-Luc Picard sipping his Earl Gray or that noisy lot on Eastenders going on about their 'cup of cha' (actually, I don't actually think I've ever heard anyone say that on Eastenders....), tea is the well-known drink of the British. Though the British have been drinking it for over 350 years, it actually arrived from China via Portugal.

Find out more here http://www.tea.co.uk/history-of-tea

2. Freddie Mercury

The Queen lead singer was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Tanzania. That's all.

3. Baked beans

Via heinz.co.uk

Forget the porridge - a true English Breakfast is known these days as a fry up with sausages, eggs, toast, bacon and baked beans. It isn't proper unless there are some baked beans on the plate (no matter what the fancy hotels in London tell you). But actually the concept of baked beans came from America. The famous 'Heinz' variety was sold as an 'exotic' foreign delicacy in Fortnum and Mason's in 1886 for a high price - and they still sell them today.

4. The word 'Friday'

The Chinese just call it good old 'Day 5', but here in Britain and most of Europe - we've names our days of the week after the celestrial bodies that were the Sun, Moon and five of the planets named after gods at the time. However, unlike our French, Italian and Spanish neighbours who name Day 5 after the Roman Goddess Venus (Vendredi, Venerdi and Viernes), the English 'Friday' is named after Norse goddess equivalent Frigg. A hangover of the Viking's who came over and left their mark from 800 - 1066. Where would we be without it hey? No' TFI/TGI Friday', 'Friday Feeling' or 'Friday' by Rebecca Black. Actually...that may be a point in UKIP's favour...

5. Fish and Chips

publicdomainpictures.net

Ok...well, technically I can't argue the fish...(we're on an Island after all), but the potato is definitely an immigrant to this land - and without the potato it would just be common fish.

Famously given to an unimpressed Elizabeth I by Sir Walter Raleigh, the Peruvian vegetable is now a staple of dinner tables all over the world. You can mash it, roast it, boil it, chip it and the best thing of all is that if you put one in the ground, you get a whole load more. Could we honestly consider a UK without it? For more about the history of the potato (you know you want to) visit http://www.potato.ie/history/

6. St George

publicdomainpictures.net

Admittedly the life of the patron Saint of England is shrouded in myth and mystery. But two things are pretty clear:

1) He wasn't British

2) He was probably Turkish or Greek

It probably isn't even true that he fought a dragon....however he was a martyred Christian which leads nicely onto...

7. Christianity

Henry the Eighth might have started good ole C of E by breaking away from the Pope and setting himself up as the Head of the Church, but despite this evolution, Christianity itself came over as an immigrant to this land with the Roman occupation.

The irony of the recent 'Halal scandal' is that of course Jesus himself was Jewish and as such, would have slaughtered the meat he ate in the same way...

8. The Queen

publicdomainpictures.net

Our current monarch changed the family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the current Windsor during 1917 as a reminder of the German descent wasn't good press during the First World War. But it's not just the current ruler who has migrant bloodlines. Despite what UKIP will tell you about Europe, from Dutch William and Mary of Orange right back to William the Conqueror, the British bloodlines have never exactly been from just this country. This amazing song by the Horrible Histories team explains...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJd4lKYlpRs