People stunned to learn fish and chip shops don’t actually sell vinegar

There are a few certainties in life: death, taxes, and chips served with salt and vinegar.

But it would appear that that's not the case after all.

Yep, it turns out that whenever you have queued up patiently for your fish and chips and the kind server asks if you want salt and vinegar on that', they've been lying to you.

I know, I'm as shocked as you are.

Apparently, while it might taste just like the real thing, what you've actually been wolfing down all these years is something called non-brewed condiment.

Now, to be clear, there's no big chippy conspiracy to deprive customers of proper vinegar, it's basically down to the fact that it's just cheaper and easier to make than vinegar.

And, actually, on top of that, there are also a few benefits to using it over the real thing.

Diana Pappas/Alamy

Firstly, companies can buy it in concentrate, which is better for storage and transportation, it's also halal, and some brands are also gluten-free. So everyone's a winner.

And the fact that most people won't ever have noticed the difference tells you something about how similar it tastes.

But while the Friday night pilgrimage to the chippy is a staple of British culture, it's never quite translated to across the pond.

And a bunch of Americans were left baffled when they sat down to give it a go and the food was presented to them wrapped in paper.

Jimbo and Jackie, from the Jimbo and Jackie Show on YouTube, were trying the British delicacy for the first time during a trip to the UK.

But they were left wondering 'how do you eat this?' after taking their seat at the table at Birmingham’s family-run chippy, the Egghill Fish Bar.

YouTube/ Jimbo and Jackie's Bonus Content

Luckily for Jimbo and Jackie, a Brit named Monica was on hand to show them the ropes as they began unwrapping their chippy tea.

Filming their experience, the pair looked excited as they started handing out the fish and chips.

“Let’s celebrate our time here in the UK,” shouted Jimbo as his dining guests screamed “Yay!”

He added: “Let’s see these beautiful fish and chips they speak of from the chippy,” before saying “it’s like Christmas” as he unwrapped his dinner parcel.

Not used to the way the traditional chippy tea is served, the duo cackled at the table, finding it hilarious that condiments came in polystyrene cups.

In the hilarious clip, Jackie then asks: “So how do you exactly eat this?” looking around the table confused.

Monica takes charge, showing them how to pour on their various sauces – ketchup, curry sauce and tartar – before picking up a chip with her fingers and popping it into her mouth.

“Heaven!” Jimbo repeatedly shouted around the table before adding that it’s 'almost as good as the [British] tea'.