Intriguing history of French fries!!

average reading time:- 7 mins

French fries, a novelty itself; succors a variety of delicacies from burgers to pasta to pizzas and so on. In fact, these combinations are endless. A lot of innovations have been made to this food with each nation recreating it to their own versions and elevating this dish. This delicacy gives divine contentment to people. French fries is one of the dishes which has caused blindness among American teenagers due to their extensive consumption. There cannot be any person in this world who dislikes French fries. This article dives into the transition of the French fries from a local relish to a world-class snack.

French fries is not a descendent of French food. This statement baffled the food enthusiasts. This subtle delicacy was first discovered in Namur, a city in Belgium- the city known for its glass and chocolate. This is the country that had developed this relish way back to the 16^th century. The story of the birth of this snack is quite a bit astonishing.

Belgium- the nation known for its glass and chocolates

The story begins so:-

It was around1680 and it was in the city of Namur in Belgium where this revolutionary snack took birth. Things were normal and all restaurants in that city were functioning as usual. Till then fried fish that too its miniature version was dominant all over the town. It was around winter and the entire town was battling the cold. People thought of smothering out the cold by devouring the local delicacy, the fried fish especially anchovies. So the demand for this dish subsequently increased. On the other hand, the supply of fish dramatically decreased. The lakes and the rivers in the vicinity of the city got frozen up in response to the rapidly declining temperature.

fried anchovies which look like french fries except for its tail

Chefs from big restaurants to small local snack bars were in a dilemma and did not know what to do. They had to find a substitute for the local supremacy and in this dilemma, the French fries took birth. Chefs shaped the potato as thick sticks and fried them so as to resemble the fried fish. This was done as a strategy to bring back their customers who were fond of the fried anchovies. Chefs thought that the customers would outrage at their disappointment, but they were taken back when the customers started to adore the substitute. As an outcome the sales for this dish increased, surpassing the fried anchovies. After this significant birth of this dish, it spread like wildfire all over Belgium and people all over the nation relished this snack.

Even though this dish took birth in this obscure town, it was the American war veterans who glorified it. The American soldiers who resided in that province during WW1 got awestruck and became fans of the dish and it was them who had nicknamed this dish as the “French fries”. The reason for this term was French being the language spoken by the Belgian army.  From then, this dish spread wings all over the world and now it has become a multi-national delicacy. This dish which initially started as a business strategy, transposed into a global relish.

But there are many contradictions against this story and critics stated that Belgians would not have wasted fat (oil) in simply frying potatoes, since fat was like gold in the 18^th century due to its lust and normal people would not have invested them in potatoes. Another theory states that potatoes were not available in Namur till 1740 and it would have been impossible for French fries to be born at the end of the 15^th century. Besides these conspiracies, many people firmly believe that Belgium created this wonder. Belgium is trying to claim rights for this novelty. There is even a type of fries known as Belgian fries which is the hardest type to cook. It can be considered as the ultimate testimonial to French fries and there are some conditions to be satisfied while executing this delicacy.

different types of oils

        i.           The cut potato pieces must not exceed 1 cm in size and must be uniform.

      ii.           These potatoes are fried twice instead of deep frying once. The reason is that the first       fry tenderizes the potato and the second fry provides a crispy coating to the potato.        This creates a luxurious and greaseless crust.

    iii.           These potatoes must not be frozen and must be prepared fresh.

traditional Belgian Frites

Research says that French fries provides health benefits like producing less glucose in children, in limited quantities. So the next time don’t hesitate to buy your children a carton of fries.

Finally, the history of the French fries remains unclear and there is no solid proof that this dish belongs to a particular nation, but what is trivial is that this dish has created immense impact all over the world.