text: As Prime Minister David Cameron puts it, on St George’s Day  we should ‘celebrate everything it is to be English’. But what does it mean to be English? From the Romans, Saxons and Normans many hundreds of years ago to those from Africa, the Indian sub-continent and the Philippines today, England has always been shaped by migration. To mark St George’s Day today, with a little help from WorldRemit, FEMAIL reveals the seemingly very English things that have actually been brought to England by people from abroad - and you may be surprised by the origins of your favourite things. Scroll down for video . Fish and chips has become a  British institution, as well as a national money-spinner, but it is actually believed to be partly Portuguese and partly Belgian . FISH AND CHIPS . They're a British institution as well as a national money-spinner, but how much do we really know about fish and chips? For most of us, the classic combination of battered fish and chipped potatoes deep-fried in beef fat or vegetable oil is as English as the cup of tea that washes it down. But just as tea originates in India or China, fish and chips is partly Portuguese and partly Belgian. The British can take credit for uniting these two Continental imports and creating a coupling that is loved the world over. One hundred and fifty years ago, in 1860, on the streets of the East End of London, 13-year-old Jewish boy called Joseph Malin had the bright idea of combining fried fish with chips. Joseph's family were rug weavers. To increase the family income they had begun frying chips in a downstairs room of their house. It was Joseph's idea to combine the chips - at that point a novelty in London - with fish from a nearby fried fish shop. Fried fish already had a long history in London. In a letter written at the end of the 18th Century, future American President Thomas Jefferson described eating 'fried fish in the Jewish fashion' on a visit to the capital. Battered fried fish had first arrived in London 200 years earlier with Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain. They brought with them a way of cooking fish that would eventually become as British as Sherlock Holmes. The actual origins of polo are unclear but historians are convinced it originated in Persia or amongst the Iranian tribes of Central Asia and was introduced to Brits by locals in the Indian state of Assam . By the 1830s, the imported novelty had established itself firmly as a favourite among London's poor. It was tasty, cheap and filling and could be eaten hot or cold. In 1846, a Jewish cookbook published in London included a recipe for fried fish. Eight years later, A Shilling Cookery For The People by French chef Alexis Soyer contained the first printed recipe for 'fried cooked potatoes'. The seal of respectability came when Victorian cook Eliza Acton, the forerunner of Mrs Beeton, suggested eating fried fish with vinegar to sweeten the taste. No one knows exactly how and where chips first originated. The most popular story credits a poor Belgian housewife from the Meuse Valley with their invention. In the winter of 1680, the river froze. Unable to get hold of any fish for her family, she cut potatoes into fish shapes and fried them instead. POLO . Is anything more English than rubbing shoulders with the high-rollers at a polo match at the height of summer? The actual origins of the game are unclear but historians are convinced it originated in  Persia or amongst the Iranian tribes of Central Asia. The first-ever recorded polo tournament was way back in 600BC when the Turkomans beat the Persians in a match. The game of polo spread quickly across the eastern world and became popular among Indians, who were introduced to the sport by the early Mohammedan invaders in the 13th century. Did you know that the tea bag was accidentally invented by a New York tea merchant? Yet English plantation owners actually learned polo from locals in the Indian state of Assam in the 19th century. Later popularised by royalty, it became the sport of wealthy Englishmen. TEA . We all know the English love a good cuppa. A lot of people know that tea was first grown in China, which was then taken to India by the British. But did you know that the tea bag was accidentally invented by a New York tea merchant? Invented by tea merchant Thomas Sullivan in New York City in June 1908, they can now be found in virtually every one of Britain's  homes. But if it wasn't for a handful of confused Americans, the tea bag may never have made it into our cups at all. They came about only after Mr Sullivan, in an attempt to cut costs, sent samples of tea leaves to potential customers in small silk pouch-like purses. Unsure quite what to do with the strange little bag, the Americans dunked it into a cup of hot water. And so was born the tea bag. After complaints that the mesh on the silk was too fine, Mr Sullivan developed sachets made of gauze - a method which was instrumental in today's tea bag design. But it was not until 1953, when British tea producer Tetley spotted the commercial potential of the bag, that it began to take off here. The firm now sells around 200million tea bags every week. PUBS . Long have the British population relished a pint in the local pub, but their creation is all thanks to the arrival of the Romans almost two thousand years ago. When they created the Roman road network, they opened little inns where a passer-by could enjoy a refreshing beverage en route to their destination. Originally called Tabernae, they began selling food and wine as well as ale. After the departure of the Romans, Alehouses began opening up all over the country. Saint George himself is thought to have been born in Syria during the late third century between about 275 AD and 285 AD . ST GEORGE . Believe it or not, even Saint George himself is thought to have been born abroad during the late third century between about 275 AD and 285 AD. Although historians have argued the Roman soldier's place of birth for over a century, it is believed that Saint George was born to a Greek Christian noble family in Syria. ENIGMA CODE . To many, the name Bletchley Park is synonymous with code-breaking glory by the British during World War Two. After all, it was there that Englishman Alan Turing and his team of mathematicians cracked the ciphers of the Nazis' Enigma machine - a feat credited with shortening the war by two years - and one depicted in award-winning movie The Imitation Game starring Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch. But in 2012, the Polish Government launched a campaign to highlight the important - and overlooked - role played by its nation in solving the Enigma code. Poles claim that Polish code breakers in Warsaw were the first ones to break Germany’s Enigma code by understanding the mathematics, left. People from Liverpool, like the Rooneys, right, are often called 'Scousers', which is short for ‘Lobscouse’, which was a Scandinavian stew eaten by the sailors who visited the port . In 1932, a group of cryptologists from the Polish Cipher Bureau - Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Rozycki and Henryk Zygalski - discovered three ways of deciphering Enigma readings. Seven years later, just before war broke out, the Poles handed over their knowledge of the Enigma codes, as well as Polish-built replicas of the machines, to British and French Intelligence officers near Warsaw. SCOUSERS . People from Liverpool are often called ‘Scousers’. The name is short for ‘Lobscouse’, which was a Scandinavian stew eaten by the sailors who visited the port. Local families adopted the dish, and the name stuck.
target: Fish and chips has believed to be partly Portuguese and partly Belgian .
  The tea bag was accidentally invented by a New York tea merchant .
  Saint George himself is thought to have been born in Syria .