Did you know French fries are from Belgium? I didn’t. I found out while reading an issue of Reader’s Digest (May 2021 issue in the Brain Games section).
I Googled it, and this is what I found.
Despite its name, the French fry is not French. The origins of the French fry have been traced back to Belgium, where historians claim potatoes were being fried in the late-1600s.
Source: Do French fries Really Come From France? | Wonderopolis
I looked at Wikipedia and added a few more nuggets to my knowledge!
French fries, or simply fries (North American English), chips (British and Commonwealth English, Hiberno-English), finger chips (Indian English), or French-fried potatoes, are batonnet or allumette-cut deep-fried potatoes.
Finger chips! Interesting memories of bar hopping in my 20s in Hyderabad and Bombay.
When in Wikipedia, you cannot resist looking at the Etymology? I did and stumbled upon this little fact that made my day.
The French and Belgians have an ongoing dispute about where fries were invented, with both countries claiming ownership. From the Belgian standpoint, the popularity of the term “french fries” is explained as a “French gastronomic hegemony” into which the cuisine of Belgium was assimilated because of a lack of understanding coupled with a shared language and geographic proximity of the countries.
So, what do you think? Are French fries French or Belgian?
You can get a lot more nuggets of knowledge from our Search Assistant and make up your mind.