Fast food is the term given to many items that can be prepared and served quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, such as TV dinners, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store which is rapidly prepared and served to the customer in a packaged form for take out/take away. The term “fast food” was recognised in a dictionary by Merriam-Webster in 1951.

Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating, or fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise operations which are part of restaurant chains have standardised foodstuffs shipped to each restaurant from central locations. The capital requirements to start a fast-food restaurant are relatively small, particularly in areas with non-existent or poorly enforced health codes. Small, individually-owned fast-food restaurants have become common throughout the world. Fast food restaurants with higher sit-in ratios, where customers can sit and have their orders brought to them, are known as fast casual restaurants.

‘Ready-cooked food to go’
Although fast-food restaurants are often viewed as a representation of modern technology, the concept of “ready-cooked food to go” is as old as cities themselves; unique variations are historical in various cultures. Ancient Roman cities had bread-and-olive stands, East Asian cultures feature noodle shops. Flat bread and falafel are ubiquitous in the Middle East. Popular Indian “fast” food delicacies include Vada pav, Papri Chaat, Bhelpuri, Panipuri and Dahi Vada. In the French-speaking nations of West Africa, meanwhile, roadside stands in and around the larger cities continue to sell- as they have done for generations- a range of ready-to-eat, char-grilled meat sticks known locally as “brochettes” (not to be confused with the bread snack of the same name found in Europe).

Fast food has existed in the UK since at least Roman Times, although the distinction between fast food items and fast casual restaurants has sometimes been blurred. Prior to the modern age, fast food in the UK has included meat pies and pastries as well as fried or battered items.

By the Medieval period it was not unknown for large cites or major towns to have ‘pie shops’ or cookhouses. Local pubs and taverns were also providers of ‘rapid’ if not fast food. As well as these fixed outlets, stalls selling cooked food were not uncommon. Cornish pastries and their descendants go back at least as far as the 13th century.

The content of pies varied, with poultry (such as chickens) or wildfowl commonly being used. Post WWII, turkey has been used more frequently in fast food.

In areas which had access to coastal or tidal waters, ‘fast food’ would frequently include local shellfish or seafood, (such as oysters or as in London eels), often this seafood would be cooked directly on the quay or close by. The development of trawler fishing in the mid nineteenth century would lead to the development of a British favorite fish and chips partly due to such activities.

Owing to differing availability of ingredients and tastes, until the Great War, British fast food had considerable regional variation. Sometimes the regionality of dish became part of the culture of its respective area.

A peculiarly British form of fast food is the sandwich, introduced by John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich c. 1762 when he wrapped dried meat in bread so as not to interrupt his work or his gambling (accounts vary). The sandwich has similarities in other cuisines and cultures such as the filled baguettes seen in France. Despite its wide appeal and consumption in the UK, it is only in recent years that the sandwich in its various forms has been considered to be fast food, initially being promoted as such by niche chains such as Subway and Pret-A-Manger.

As well as its native forms, the UK has adopted fast food from other cultures, such as Pizza (Italian), noodles (Chinese), Kebabs and various other forms of fast foods from other parts of the British Commonwealth. and further afield. In some areas imported fast food has become part of both the local, and British culture in general. More recently healthier alternatives to conventional fast food have also emerged.

“On The Go”
Fast-food outlets are take-away or take-out providers, often with a “drive-through” service which allows customers to order and pick up food from their cars; but most also have a seating area in which customers can eat the food on the premises.

Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten “on the go”, often does not require traditional cutlery, and is eaten as a finger food. Common menu items at fast food outlets include fish and chips, sandwiches, pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, and ice cream, although many fast-food restaurants offer “slower” foods like chili, mashed potatoes, and salads.

Cuisine
The common preparation practice for small vendors consists of serving a few basic ingredients and toppings that can be cooked in batches and served quickly on the spot.

Modern commercial fast food is often highly processed and prepared in an industrial fashion, i.e., on a large scale with standard ingredients and standardised cooking and production methods. It is usually rapidly served in cartons or bags or in a plastic wrapping, in a fashion which minimizes cost. In most fast food operations, menu items are generally made from processed ingredients prepared at a central supply facility and then shipped to individual outlets where they are reheated, cooked (usually by microwave or deep-frying) or assembled in a short amount of time. This process ensures a consistent level of product quality, and is key to being able to deliver the order quickly to the customer and eliminate labor and equipment costs in the individual stores.

Because of commercial emphasis on speed, uniformity and low cost, fast food products are often made with ingredients formulated to achieve a certain flavor or consistency and to preserve freshness. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are pumped into fast foods which contain high amounts of trans fat. This requires a high degree of food engineering, the use of additives and processing techniques substantially alter the food from its original form and reduce its nutritional value.

Trans-fats which are commonly found in fast food have been shown in many tests to have a negative health effect on the body. A recent study fed monkeys a diet consisting of a similar level of trans-fats as what a person who ate fast food regularly would consume. Both diets contained the same overall number of calories. It was found that the monkeys who consumed higher level of trans-fat developed more abdominal fat than those fed a diet rich in unsaturated fats. They also developed signs of insulin resistance, which is an early indicator of diabetes. After six years on the diet, the trans-fat fed monkeys had gained 7.2% of their body weight, compared to just 1.8% in the unsaturated fat group.

Excessive calories are another issue with fast food. A diet of approximately 2000 calories is consider a healthy amount of calories for an entire day (which is different depending on several factors such as weight, height, physical activity and gender