In the culinary world, there are foods whose paternity is claimed by different countries… Is pasta Italian? Is pain au chocolat the same as a chocolatine? Sometimes, debates rage and the origin of a food can cause some tension… Have you ever wondered if fries were French or, as some people claim, Belgian? They claim to have the best mussels and fries of the world, but in France, they are also delicious… So fries? Belgian or French? A gastronomic historian, Pierre Leclerq explained in the columns of Figaro the story of this piece of potato that is thrown into boiling oil!

Fries, the Franco-Belgian fight

A frie is simply a piece of potato cut into a more or less regular stick that is cooked in boiling oil… Fries are eaten with salt, mayonnaise, ketchup, dipped in your favorite sauce. All shots are allowed to eat fries! Finally, they accompany many dishes, starting with mussels of course, steak or the eternal burgers. French fries appear in the 1860s but at that time they were called “fried potatoes”. This name is still theirs, but they have become “fries” for economy of language.

Who invented fries?

Our Belgian friends would be afraid of being disappointed, but the fries as we know them today were invented in Paris! It first appeared in recipe books in 1865., and was initially only served in restaurants in the capital. Do not confuse the fries with the fried potato which is a slice that is cooked in oil, but in a pan. This form of potato cooking has existed since the end of the 18th century. French fries would therefore have been born in the streets of Paris, where they were then sold by fries merchants. In the 19th^th century, they are therefore Parisian, but are exported very quickly to Belgium where they become the “national dish”. Pierre Leclerqhimself of Belgian nationality, therefore affirms that the fries are French but that they have gradually deserted the streets of Paris to become a Belgian emblem. Faced with the success in Belgium, the locals thought they had invented it!

Fries, the popular dish par excellence!

When it was born, fries were sold in the working-class neighborhoods of the French capital… The Pont-Neuf district or the Boulevard du Temple were the nerve centers of fries sales. In these neighborhoods, there were a lot of vaudeville plays, popular plays. They are known to be popular with people with limited financial means. Moreover, there are very few fries on the menus of prestigious restaurants; French fries are generally eaten with your fingers, and it is hard to imagine indulging in such manners in a reputable place…

How to make real fries?

We are not going to give you the recipe for fries of course, but it is better to make them with good fresh potatoes than to buy them pre-fried or frozen. Once peeled and cut, they must be rinsed, but not too much, so as not to remove all the starch they contain, because it is thanks to this that they crisp! Then you have to wipe them with a cloth, water and oil don’t mix. The first oil bath will have to last 5 minutes at 140° and the second 3 minutes at 180°, taking care to let them dry between the two dips… Remember to salt them as soon as they come out of the fryer, they will only be better! Enjoy your lunch !