French Fries

Despite its name, it's possible that the French fry did not originate in France. Historical accounts indicate that these fried elongated pieces of potatoes were first cooked up in the Meuse Valley of Belgium in the late 17th century. The people there were accustom to frying up small fish, but when the rivers froze they cut potatoes into long thin slices and fried them in the same way they did fish. French soldiers may have been introduced to fries by the Belgians during the Franco-Austrian war that took place near modern-day Belgium. A couple decades after the war, when the potato became popular in France, it's possible that those former soldiers introduced this frying method to the rest of France. One of the earliest references of fried potato strips being French was in 1802 when President Thomas Jefferson asked the White House chef to prepare "potatoes served in the French manner" and described them as "potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small cuttings." Then in an American cookbook from the 1850s, "French fried potatoes" was used to describe what we now know as French fries. No matter which country came up with fries first, the French are credited with bringing them to America. French fries are a common potato choice on many restaurant menus. They've long been a summer snack staple along the boardwalks of ocean resort towns in Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.   

Recipe Servings: 4