French Fries, commonly known as fries (North America), or chips (United Kingdom, Ireland, and most Commonwealth nations), are pieces of potato that have been cut into batons and deep-fried.

In areas where "chips" is the common term, "French fries" usually refers to the thinner variant found in US-influenced fast food restaurants, or to the even thinner "shoestring potatoes". In North America "chips" generally means potato chips (called "crisps" in the UK and Ireland), which are deep-fried very thin slices of potato that are usually served at room temperature. A more recent hybrid of thicker cross-cut splicings, and generally eaten hot, is "waffle-cut potatoes" (not to be confused with potato waffles made from reconstituted potato).

History

French-fried potatoes were likely invented during the 18th century in the area that later became Belgium. The name "French" was applied to them in (American) English at the beginning of the 19th century.

Culinary origin of the term

The straightforward explanation of the term is that it means potatoes fried in the French sense of the verb: "to fry" can mean either sautéing or deep-fat frying, while its French origin, frire, unambiguously means deep-frying : frites being its past participle used with a plural feminine substantive, as in pommes de terre frites ("deep-fried potatoes").^[1][2] Thomas Jefferson, famous for serving French dishes, wrote exactly the latter French expression.^[1][3] In the early 20th century, the term "French fried" was being used for foods such as onion rings or chicken, apart from potatoes.^[4][5]

The verb "to french", though not attested until after "French fried potatoes" had appeared, can refer to "julienning" of vegetables as is acknowledged by some dictionaries^[6] while others only refer to trimming the meat off the shanks of chops.^[7]

Belgium

The Belgians claim that "French" fries are in fact Belgian, but definitive evidence for the origin has not been presented. Belgian historian Jo Gerard recounts that potatoes were already fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of "the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals."^[8][9][10]

The Dutch concur with a Southern Netherlandish or Belgian origin when referring to Vlaamse frieten ('Flemish fries'). In 1857, the newspaper Courrier de Verviers devotes an article to Fritz (assumed pun with 'frites'), a Belgian entrepreneur selling French fries at fairs, calling them "le roi des pommes de terre frites". In 1862, a stall selling French fried potatoes (frietkot, see below) called "Max en Fritz" was established near Het Steen in Antwerp.^[11][9]

A Belgian legend claims that the term "French" was introduced when British or American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I, and consequently tasted Belgian fries. They supposedly called them "French", as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time.^[9] But the term "French fried potatoes" had been in use long before the Great War.

Whether or not Belgians invented them, "frites" "quickly became the national snack and a substantial part of both national dishes — making the Belgians their largest consumers,^{[citation needed]} and to Europe, their "symbolic" creators.

France

Many Americans attribute the dish to France — although in France they are often thought of as Belgian — and offer as evidence a notation by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. "Pommes de terre frites à cru, en petites tranches" ("Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small cuttings") are noted in a manuscript in Thomas Jefferson's hand (circa 1801-1809) and the recipe almost certainly comes from his French chef, Honoré Julien.^[1] It is worth noting, though, that France had recently annexed what is now Belgium, and would retain control over it until the Congress of Vienna of 1815 brought it under Dutch reign.^[12] In addition, from 1813^[13] on, recipes for what can be described as French fries, occur in popular American cookbooks. By the late 1850s, one of these mentions the term "French fried potatoes."^[14]

Recipes for fried potatoes (not clearly specified how) in French cookbooks date back at least to Menon's Les soupers de la cour (1755). It is true that eating potatoes was promoted in France by Parmentier, but he did not mention fried potatoes in particular. And the name of the dish in languages other than English does not refer to France; in French, they are simply called "pommes de terres frites" or, more commonly, simply "pommes frites" or 'frites'.

Spain

Some claim that the dish was invented in Spain, the first European country in which the potato appeared via the New World colonies, and assumes the first appearance to have been as an accompaniment to fish dishes in Galicia,^{[citation needed]} from which it spread to the rest of the country and further to the Spanish Netherlands, more than a century before Belgium was created there.

Professor Paul Ilegems, curator of the Friet-museum in Antwerp, Belgium, believes that Saint Teresa of Ávila fried the first chips, referring also to the tradition of frying in Mediterranean cuisine.^[15][11]

United Kingdom

The first chip fried in Britain was apparently on the site of Oldham's Tommyfield Market in 1860. In Scotland, chips were first sold in Dundee, "...in the 1870s, that glory of British gastronomy – the chip – was first sold by Belgian immigrant Edward De Gernier in the city’s Greenmarket."^[16]

United States' world-wide influence

The thin style of french fries have been popularized worldwide in part by United States-based fast-food chains like McDonald's and Burger King, however the thicker cut English style of chip was already a popular dish in most Commonwealth countries. This came about through the introduction of the frozen French fry invented by the J.R. Simplot Company in the early 1950s. Before the handshake deal between Ray Kroc of McDonald's and Jack Simplot of the J.R. Simplot Company, potatoes were hand-cut and peeled in the restaurants, but Simplot's frozen product reduced preparation time and aided the expansion of the McDonald's franchise. One of the few fast-food chains that still prepare fresh potatoes on the premises is In-N-Out Burger. Another is Penn Station.^[17]

Recent developments

Frozen French fries most often have been pre-fried — it is not unheard of for these to be baked instead of fried — and are widely available in supermarkets.

By the start of the 21st century, frozen fries for home-cooking had become available, battered and breaded, and many U.S. fast-food and casual food chains had turned to dusting with a starch, dextrin and flavors coating for crispier fries with particular tastes. The food service sector is challenged to create time-saving "fries" that consumers find acceptable. Results with new batterings and breadings, followed by microwaving, remain sub-standard, though oven frying may deliver reasonable fries, be it different from the traditionally fried item.^[18]

Food associations

Besides being a popular snack in themselves, French fried potatoes as a side dish to specific food often typify a country:

• In Belgium, steamed mussels: moules-frites. After missing the popular dish for a few months, in summer, the Belgians rush to restaurants and fishmongers when the mussels arrive, typically from Zeeland. Another national dish is their bifteck-frites in French or biefstuk-friet in Dutch, which may disregard these terms' English language origin as beefsteak and — for aficionados — be horse steak; the steak fries are plainly seasoned or served with one of the sauces the French are praised for, and usually a simple salad, in restaurants or at home. A time and cost efficient traditional puts a deep fried egg on top of a plate of chips.
• In France, grilled steak: steak-frites.
• In Spain, fried eggs: huevos con patatas.
• In the United Kingdom, fried fish: fish and chips.
• In the United States, hamburgers.
• In Germany, curried sausage: Currywurst.
• In Norway, Finland and Sweden, kebab, hamburgers and sausages.
• In Canada, mainly in Québec, poutine.

Variants

French fries have numerous variants, from "thick-cut" to "shoestring", "joe joes", "crinkle", "curly" and many other names. They can also be coated with breading and spices, which include garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika and salt to create "seasoned fries", or cut thickly with the skin left on to create potato wedges, or without the skin to create "steak fries", essentially the American equivalent of the British "chip". Sometimes, French fries are cooked in the oven as a final step in the preparation (having been coated with oil during preparation at the factory): these are often sold frozen and are called "oven fries" or "oven chips".

In France, the thick-cut fries are called 'pommes Pont-Neuf'^[19] or simply 'pommes frites', about 10 mm; thinner variants are 'pommes allumettes' (matchstick potatoes), ±7 mm, and 'pommes pailles' (potato straws), 3-4 mm (roughly ⅜, ¼ and ⅛ inch respectively). The two-bath technique is standard (Bocuse). 'Pommes gaufrettes' or "waffle-cut potatoes" are not typical French fried potatoes, but actually crisps obtained by quarter turning the potato before each next slide over a grater and deep-frying just once.^[20]

A Belgian chef patented "steppegras" ('prairie grass'), his variety of extremely thin-cut French fried potatoes developed in 1968 while working in Germany. The name refers to a dish including its particular sauce, and to his restaurant.^[21]

In the British Isles, Australia and elsewhere, the term "French fries" is only used by fast-food restaurants serving narrow-cut (shoestring) fries. Traditional "chips" in the United Kingdom are usually cut much thicker, typically between ⅜ and ½ inches (9.5-13 mm) square in cross-section and cooked twice, making them less crunchy on the outside and fluffier on the inside. Since the surface-to-volume ratio is lower, they have a lower fat content. Chips are part of the popular British take-away dish fish and chips. In Australia, the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, few towns are without a chip shop (colloquially, a chippie).

Belgian fries are about 10-13 mm thick and must be fried twice, usually in horse fat, according to American culinary celebrity Alton Brown. This was used shortly after World War II but also quickly abandoned in favor of the traditional ox or beef fat. For economical reasons vegetable oil became common and is now usually preferred for a relative cholesterol benefit.^[22]

Cooking

Some home cooks who prepare French fries from scratch, cook them a single time in a generous amount of oil pre-heated to a temperature around 375 °F (190 °C) until they are golden and slightly crisp. The method recommended by most cookbooks, and used by many restaurants, especially those reputed to have excellent French fries, cook them in two stages: first at a temperature at around 350 °F (177 °C), until the fries are nearly cooked but still limp and pale; then, after they have been removed from the oil and allowed to cool, at a higher temperature, generally around 375 °F (190 °C), until they are golden and crisp, which normally takes less than a minute. A third method, attributed to the celebrated French chef Joël Robuchon for the home cook, is to put the sliced potatoes into a saucepan with just enough cold oil in it to cover the potatoes, then cook them over high heat until golden, stirring occasionally.^[23] This chef mainly uses a more traditional style after blanching the cut potatoes in boiling water.^[24]

The Belgian way of cooking 'frites' is generally in two stages.

First the peeled and lengthwise crisscross cut potatoes are 'pre-fried' ('voorgebakken' in Dutch) for about 6 to 10 minutes in oil or – traditionally – beef fat preheated to about 130 to 160 °C, to cook the inner part without burning the outside, while most of the moisture is driven out. Then they are taken out, tossed to avoid clumping, and generally allowed to cool down. This intermediate product can be either frozen for 'instant' deep-frying later, or as several batches of 'pre-fried' fries prepared (e.g., when fries stands are opened for the day, or at home ahead of a company of guests) for rapid frying and almost simultaneously serving later.

The second stage involves frying for about two to four minutes in oil or beef fat preheated to 175 to 195 °C (as high as the oil or fat can safely stand: a too high temperature breaks it down to rather poisonous compounds). The (cool) batches must be small enough relative to the quantity of oil or fat for its preheated temperature to stay sufficiently high already during the first half minute of the frying process. Generally the cook is guided more by the color of the product than by timing ; and by experience with the particular variety of potato. As rule-of-the-thumb one might wait until the fries start to float near the surface. Once more the fries are sturdily tossed and preferably also kind of centrifuged (vigorously swerving the batch around in a wide recipient, in the shape of the base of a cone upside down, held in front of the cook's belly – common for professional batch frying), and shortly tossed again – thus removing excessive fattiness and preventing loss of the outer crispness.

Ideally, the fries have a golden to gold-brown appearance and a bite through the crispy outside reveals a soft inside. For a given depth of the crispy crust, the balance with the soft cooked potato inside is determined by the thickness; no less than 13 mm traditionally to 10 mm towards the end of the 20th century, before frying, are typical for Belgium. Some restaurants may cut as thin as 5 mm. In a good professional friterie stand, the cut is done in a single action by driving the whole peeled potato standing vertically, through a horizontal raster of crosswise sharp blades. This easily removable (for cleaning) and exchangeable set of blades defines the thickness of the frites.

Typically for U.S. fast-food restaurants, is a preparation prior to cooking:

In an interview, Burger King president Donald Smith said that his chain's fries are sprayed with a sugar solution shortly before being packaged and shipped to individual outlets. The sugar carmelizes in the cooking fat, producing the golden color customers expect. Without it, the fries would be nearly the same color outside as inside: pasty yellow. Smith believes that McDonald's also sugar-coats its fries.^[25]

Accompaniments

French fries are almost always salted just after cooking. They are then served with a variety of condiments, notably tomato sauce, ketchup, curry, curry ketchup (mildly hot mix of the former), hot or chili sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, bearnaise sauce, tartar sauce, tzatziki, garlic sauce, fry sauce, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, gravy, brown sauce, vinegar (especially malt vinegar), lemon, piccalilli, pickled cucumber, gherkins, very small pickled onions, or honey.^[26][27]

Even the smallest Belgian town has a frietkot (literally 'chips shack').^[28] This Dutch language term also became adopted by the French speaking part of the country in addition to the French friterie; an equivalent though slightly less colloquial Dutch form for such vending stall is frietkraam, while a frituur —from French friture— can as well be in a proper shop possibly furnished with tables. Traditionally, take-away chips were picked by the fingers out of a tip bag wrapped from a square paper, while walking on the streets. By the 1970s and 80s with several meat accompaniments gaining popularity, more practical open carton boxes became standard and tiny plastic forks available. One can order a small or large portion, often three or four sizes are priced.
Fries with mayonnaise is a fastfood classic in Belgium, often eaten without any side orders. The limited choice around 1960 between a pickled herring, a cold large meatball boulet or red coloured garlic sausage cervela (both often served deep-fried later on), or a beef or (now rarely) horsemeat stew, became expanded by goulash and a wide variety of deep-fried meats as chicken legs, beef or pork sticks, minced beef and/or pork and/or chicken and/or turkey in all shapes (balls, sticks, sausages) mixed with a dosage of fat and condiments to one's preference, usually factory made. An example of an additional on-the-spot preparation is sometimes in Flanders called mammoet speciaal (mammoth special), a large curryworst (frikandel in the Netherlands) deep-fried and cut so as to put chopped onion in the V-shaped length and dressed with mayonnaise (as real as factory made can be, not frietsaus) and (curry-)ketchup. The earlier of now many available sauces, are mayonnaise, and one called pickles which is actually piccalilly.^[29][27] Though Belgians do not sprinkle vinegar on fries, they may eat them with cold mussels out of the shells preserved in vinegar, entirely uncomparable to the national dish with freshly boiled hot mussels served in the shells.^[30]

In the Netherlands, vending points are often very similar to the ones in Belgium but called snackbars. Though each country has a few typical accompaniments, many are alike but usually known by different and confusing names in an otherwise for the Netherlands and Flanders common language. Peanut sauce is also popular (also called satay sauce, after the Malayan meat sate on which the same sauce is used). The Dutch also use the word mayonnaise to refer to frietsaus (fries-sauce) a thicker, less acidic sauce made specially to accompany French fries (as made famous in the film Pulp Fiction). Another interesting combination is Patatje Oorlog (Dutch for: French Fries War), which is French fries with a variety of sauces, a variety that differs from region to region, and even from one snackbar to another. While it sometimes means mayonnaise (or rather, frietsaus), peanut sauce and chopped raw onions, in other places it means the fries are accompanied with all condiments available. Dutch snackbars typically offer at least 8 condiments or combinations of them (the condiments are never free in the Netherlands), but some serve up to 40 different styles. The Dutch eat their fries mostly with the famous Dutch snacks such as the kroket and frikandel.

In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, traditional chips usually accompanied by salt and malt vinegar, and in some areas onion vinegar. The fondness for vinegar on chips has led to the use of spray misters, such as used for misting plants or spraying cleaning products, for the even distribution of vinegar to chips; this ensures an even coating of vinegar, meaning there are no "pools" where vinegar and salt form a small clump. In England and Wales, gravy and curry sauce are available from some chip shops. In Northern England, Scotland and South Wales, 'chips, cheese and gravy' is a popular dish, while in the South 'cheesy chips' (chips with grated cheddar thickly sprinkled on) are popular. In Britain and Ireland, the term french fries refers exclusively to the long thin version served in fast food establishments. The most common accompaniment for chips in England is tomato ketchup, other sauces used include barbecue sauce, burger sauce, mayonnaise, mustard and brown sauce or a combination thereof. When chips are served with other fried foods such as fish and battered sausage mushy peas are a popular side dish.

In Scotland salt and vinegar tends to be served in most places, with salt and sauce (a mixture of brown sauce and vinegar) a local specialty served in Edinburgh and parts of Fife. Often the 'vinegar' is actually non-brewed condiment, a solution of acetic acid.

In Ireland, chips are served with salt and vinegar, with gravy, pepper sauce, curry sauce and mushy peas being common accompaniments. Fish and chips or kebab are common. Chips are also commonly served with any combination of coleslaw, curry sauce, garlic sauce and grated cheese which is known as a "garlic and cheese chip". "Burger sauce" is also very a popular accompaniment.

In Australia, chicken salt (seasoned salt) is widely used in preference to plain salt.

In Germany, accompaniments are usually limited to ketchup and mayonnaise. The two are often combined, which is commonly called Pommes rot-weiß ("fries red and white"). Although mustard may also be available at the same fast food stand to serve with Bratwurst, it is used to accompany French Fries less commonly. Curry sauce is sometimes used as a condiment. During Gerhard Schröder's term, some Germans jokingly referred to a combination of salted French fries ("Pommes", or "Fritten") with ketchup and a large Currywurst as Kanzlerplatte (Chancellor's Dish) because Schröder was said to prefer this kind of fast food. Other "nicknames" are "Bottroper Platte" (Bottrop plate), referring to the city of Bottrop in the Ruhr area or "Pommes Schranke" (Fries "barrier"), referring to the common red and white markings on barriers.

In Denmark the traditional accompaniment to French fries is remoulade sauce.

Throughout Canada, white vinegar is a popular condiment for French fries. No other country is known to so enjoy white vinegar (as opposed to malt or other vinegars) on its fries. All major Canadian fast-food outlets provide white vinegar packets next to their ketchup packets in their stores, and all restaurants keep white vinegar on their tables. That is not to say that the use of malt vinegar is not common – particularly amongst those of English heritage. In most traditional 'fish & chips' shops in Canada, malt vinegar is more prevalent. However, ketchup and mayonnaise are also commonly used on French fries in Canada.

In Canada, French fries are the main component of a dish called 'poutine': a mixture of French fries with fresh cheese curds, covered with a hot gravy, optionally with browned ground beef and/or a vegetable such as green peas mixed in. This dish is most popular in Quebec fast food chains such as La Belle Province, and Lafleur Restaurants. (A similar variant, 'disco fries' is found in several New England cities.) In Newfoundland, Canada 'Newfie fries' comprise French fries topped with turkey stuffing made with summer savoury (called dressing), and gravy.

In the United States, fries are sometimes coated with melted cheese, called cheese fries. Often, this is in combination with chili. 'Cheese fries' (or, more commonly, 'disco Fries' – with brown gravy and mozzarella) are a staple of New Jersey diners. Variations of cheese fries include fries covered with melted cheese, usually Cheez Whiz, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, or garlic and cheese fries (cheese with garlic mayonnaise). The American fast-food restaurants Checkers and Rallys serve "fully loaded fries": seasoned fried covered in melted American cheese, ranch dressing and bacon bits. In some regions french fries may be dipped in various milkshakes, often Frostys.
- Mid-Atlantic States often put Old Bay Seasoning on fries. These are sometimes referred to as "beach fries".^[31]
- In Utah and surrounding areas, French fries are often served with fry sauce, a mixture of spices, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
- In California, especially San Diego, french fries are covered with cheese, carne asada, sour cream, and guacamole. These are called carne asada fries and are served almost exclusively in taco shops..
- In the Midsouth, fries are often served with white, or country gravy ; in other Southern states primarily with ketchup.

In the Philippines, they are often served with a sprinkling of powdered flavors, primarily cheese, sour cream or barbecue. In some fast food chains, these are topped with cheese sauce and minced bacon.

In Vietnam, restaurants are usually found serving fries with sugar over a dollop of soft butter.

In Pakistan, they are served on the street with a mint-dhania sauce, pudina ki chutney.

In Bulgaria, a serving of fries can be ordered with a covering of sirene, a grated white brine cheese.

Health aspects

French fries can contain a large amount of fat (usually saturated) from frying. Some researchers have suggested that the high temperatures used for frying such dishes may have results harmful to health (see acrylamides). In the United States about ¼ of vegetables consumed are prepared as French fries and are believed to contribute to widespread obesity when trans fats are present. Frying French fries in beef tallow, recently discarded McDonald's recipe, adds saturated fat to the diet. Replacing tallow with tropical oils such as palm oil simply substitutes one saturated fat for another. Replacing tallow with partially hydrogenated oil reduces cholesterol but adds trans fat, which has been shown to both raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol.^[32][33][34]

Freedom fries

Full article: Freedom fries

On March 11, 2003, following the example set by a restaurant in Beaufort, North Carolina,^[35] the cafeteria menus in the three United States House of Representatives office buildings changed the name of French fries to freedom fries in a symbolic culinary rebuke of France stemming from anger over that country's opposition to the United States government's invasion of Iraq. As of August 2, 2006, they were back on the menu as French fries in the United States House of Representatives.^[36]

Legal issues

In 1994, the well-known owner of Stringfellows nightclub in London, Peter Stringfellow, took exception to McCain Foods' use of the name "Stringfellows" for a brand of long thin French fries and took them to court. He lost the case (Stringfellows v McCain Food (GB) Ltd (1994)) on the basis that there was no connection in the public mind between the two uses of the name, and therefore McCain's product would not have caused the nightclub to lose any sales.^[37][38]

In June 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture, with the advisement of a federal district judge from Beaumont, Texas, classified batter-coated French fries as a vegetable under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. Although this move was mostly for trade reasons (French fries do not meet the standard to be listed as a "processed food"), this received significant media attention partially due to the documentary Super Size Me.

See also

• Deep-frying
• Chip pan
• Deep fryer
• Vacuum fryer

Notes

References

• Bocuse, Paul. La Cuisine du marché, Paris, 1992.
• Tebben, Maryann. ""French" Fries: France's Culinary Identity from Brillat-Savarin to Barthes (essay)". online journal Convivium Artium: Food Representation in Literature, Film, and the Arts © 2006. Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, University of Texas at San Antonio. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• News on French Fries and Potato Processing
• Gallery of photos of french fry dishes - at Citizendium.