French fries, chips, freedom fries, or whatever you want to call them are a horrible food. When the River Meuse froze in 1680, potatoes were cut into the shape of fish, fried, and used as a substitute to their main staple. So when that method was applied to potatoes they were called "French Fried Potatoes." The original name for french fries was "potatoes, fried in the French manner" that is how Thomas Jefferson first described the dish. It cuts the food into long, thin strips, almost like matchsticks. There are many varieties of wild potato, some growing at altitudes as high as 13,000 feet (almost 4,000 meters). My friend Rick Knowles is a potato researcher at Washington State University and told me all about the spuds. I was in Belgium a few years ago and they claim to have invented what we know as French fries. Lv 7. They are called French fries because the type of long, thin cut used for fries used to be called a "French cut" (noun) or "Frenching" (verb). The average American consumes over 16 pounds of them every year, and they have become a staple part … Naturally, "French toast" became "freedom toast" as well. The plural of "French fry" may be "French fries", but at fast-food joints here in Canada, a big portion of French fries is usually called "a large fry", presumably … They are called French Fries only in USA, so my best guess would be that they were introduced en masse to north America through the French eateries. Wild potatoes are still eaten in South America, called "native potatoes" or papas criollas. To British eyes, these are chips. French Fries are relatively quicker to make, but the process requires a special cutting technique called julienne. The world’s most favourite potato fritters also have cultural variants. During the 1800s deep frying food was often called "Frying in the French Method" or "French Frying". French Fries or French Onion Soup are called "french" NOT because its french but because of the cutting techniques used with a chef's knives/ french knives... when you make a thin strips out of whatever (french fries, onions) 0 0. The French cut the potatoes in the iconic shape. You can tell they’re chips because they’re quite thick, they look like they were once a potato and (this is the giveaway) they’re lying next to a … Two of them are the Clearwater Russet and Blazer Russet potatoes. I feel like their popularity is the greatest culinary scam of the past hundred years and that the only reason people like them is because they haven't given what a French fry is much thought. It is sometimes called allumette. This origin does not have a set date of labeling and just has a general colloquial evolution of the language. "And while the jury is out on the nutritional worth of your favorite bar snack or side dish, everyone is in agreement about one thing: frozen french fries are the worst kids on the block. 5 months ago. A good French fry starts with the right potato. The fries were called “Les frites” (which is French) by the Belgians and so the American soldiers took to calling them “French fries”. The long, thin ones are commonly called fries … A "Julienne" is actually much smaller then a Batonnet; about the size of a match stick. The change didn't have unanimous support. The popularity -- and the dish -- spread to this country, where they were called (not surprisingly) "French fried potatoes," a name later shortened to "french fries." Back to French fries I thought they were called that because the French invented deep fat frying, how fries are cooked, so they were named after that. The real history of French fries. Fries tend to be crispy whereas chips tend to be softer. Fries then to be long and thin, whereas chips are much thicker. But it is nice to actually know that they were invented in Belgium. By Gary Arndt. 1 decade ago. Yes, there was a time when some Americans decided to call French fries "freedom fries"—embarrassingly, a number of those people happened to be elected officials in … Jefferson introduced french fries to the colonies in the late 1700s. 41 Answers. What we recognize today as Belgian ‘frites‘ or ‘friets‘ is thought to have originated in the Meuse region in 1680.The poor inhabitants of the Meuse valley area subsisted mainly on fish. Orginal "French Fries" were actually called pomme frites. French fries are served hot, either soft or crispy, and are generally eaten as part of lunch or dinner or by themselves as a snack, and they commonly appear on the menus of diners, fast food restaurants, pubs, and bars. In America, we call most forms of sliced potato which is then cooked by almost any method… a French fry. Some are almost frost-resistant and grow near the snowline. History of the French Fry . Other parts of the world, most notably Europe, the term French fry is used only to describe the thinly sliced style of fries (think McDonalds vs. Red Robin… yum). The original name for french fries was "potatoes, fried in the French manner" that is how Thomas Jefferson first described the dish. Whatever the case though, it is the French that spread the fries to both Britain and America and that’s why they are called “French fries”. French fries did not originate in America. Republican Representatives Walter Jones and Bob Ney, who was the chairman of the House Administration Committee at the time and angered at "our so-called ally, France," made it happen. They're by far the most popular item at most fast food restaurants. According to other sources, Thomas Jefferson introduced them to the colonies in the late 18th century after spending time in France (where he was introduced to them). It turns out there are certain kinds of potatoes that make the best fries. French fries are served as a common side dish to burgers, fried chicken, grilled steak and also, fried fish. 0 0. yanabanana70. Why French fries was called 'french fries' Why not American fries? They are usually salted and, depending on the country, may be served with ketchup, vinegar, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, or other local specialties. Potatoes, Potato Chips or French Fries . This theory is incorrect, for a couple of reasons. The Japanese convention is the same as that of French, with the dish referred to as "fried potato". Common Sense. I'm wondering! They served "freedom fries" instead. Though french fries are now exclusively made of potatoes, the term used to refer to a cooking method rather than a food. And in Canada we usually just call them French fries or fries … Jefferson introduced french fries to … The modern day term for this size and shape of cut is a "Batonnet", which refers to the long, thin stick type of cut. In the 17th century people from Dinant in Wallonia (Belgium) fried little fish to accompany thier meals, but when the rivers froze in winter they had to find something else. Depending on who you ask, french fries could be considered the deep fryer's gift to hungry people everywhere, or as some describe them (via Harvard Health Publishing), a "weapon of dietary destruction. However, while all frites are french fries, not all french fries are chips, not from the British perspective at any rate. Everyone loves french fries. French fries used to be called “french fried potatoes,” meaning that they were potatoes that had been “french fried.” To “french fry” a food meant to deep-fry it. Relevance. Since half of Belgium was once part of France, then I think that is where the name came from. French fries are in fact a Belgian way of preparing potatoes. American chips are what we British call crisps, while our British chips are usually shorter and more chunky than the sort called French fries; Australians use chips for both the American and British sorts, distinguishing the latter by calling them hot chips. Why are French Fries called French Fries? They should actually be called Belgium Fries as they originated there, but during the Great War they were introduced to the US troops who brought them home and they named them as French Fries ("Pommes frites) A true French Fry is a chip, about 10mmx10mm but somewhere along the timeline of them they became those 6mmx6mm fries. Whether that story is true is up for debate, but it was common enough for Escoffier to name his … Thomas Jefferson had "potatoes served in the French manner" served at a White House dinner in 1802. Answer Save. Anonymous. Escoffier’s name for fries harkens back to a supposed origin when vendors on the Paris’s Pont-Neuf bridge started selling deep fried potatoes in 1789, just before the French Revolution. So… Just to get the first one out of the way, we call crisps “crisps”, because of their crispiness. First, as mentioned, in the 1800s, Thomas Jefferson referred to fried potato strips as “frying potatoes in the French … So to Americanize it, it's called French Fries meaning fried potatoes done french style. Chips are totally different. Myth: According to many, French fries are called that way because, during WWI, some French-speaking Belgian soldiers are … They are called french fries because of the way they are cut and the way they are cooked. It is one of the few things which most people can agree on in the world today. These potatoes have a good texture and their long shape makes them great for cutting into fries. 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