French fries. Small, medium, or large. It does not matter what size they come in or what shape they form, or wherever you buy them, they are popular. Plus, a part of the reason they are so easy to access is that they are quite easy to make. French fries are one of the best quick snacks that can get adjusted to suit any person from any country.
In Afghanistan, a 12-year-old boy started his own French fry business, and he is doing well (Sources no.5). He added his own ethnic touch to the fries, which have been popular in the central Asian nation. That is the beauty of French fries.
They can go with a range of different sauces and dips, whether that be tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, chilli sauce, tartare sauce or whatever. You can even add cheese and other types of food to it, or you can have them as a part of a meal. Every country has their own adoption of French fries, which make them such an adaptable food.
Speaking of French fries, how can one go past the classic Simpsons dialogue from Grandpa Simpson when he was working at Krusty Burger. It goes as follows:
Grandpa Simpson: Mayday! Mayday! We are losing transmission!
Angry Customer: I said French Fries!
Grandpa Simpson: What the? Do we sell, French…… Fries?
Link to that dialogue (Sources no. 6)
Anyway, enough of going off topic. French fries. How did it all begin? Are they French? Well, in order to get a better understanding of that aspect, we have to go back in time.
The history/origins of French Fries:
Well, the French fries do not come from France. The claim made by some historians is that the Belgians began frying potatoes in the 16000s. Villagers used to fry fish and make sure they were thin, in a similar shape as certain types of French fries. In the Winter months, the temperatures would be so cold that they had to warm themselves up.
So this is where the story of the French fries’ origins begins. The villagers near the river Meuse did what they do to fish in the warmer months, to the potatoes, and fired them. That was the earliest form of French fries.
Later in the early 20th century, when World War 1 happened, the American soldiers stumbled upon the local delicacy.
The most dominant language of Southern Belgium was French, hence, why the American soldiers dubbed them as ‘French fries’. Hence, the name stayed, and it has become popular all over the world.
Other historians claim that the French fries were French. The French sold French fries on the streets of Paris’ Pont Neuf in the 1780s.
During those times, potatoes became a means of sustenance for the French people who were not as privileged as the nobility.
Antoine-Augustin Parmentier promoted potatoes as an average person’s food in France, but omitted French fries. There are other theories surrounding the origins of where the French fries begun or wherever they were French. This topic
will continuously generate debate amongst historians in the future. Anyway, one thing is for sure.
Whoever came up with this wonderful creation has created some memorable moments in many people’s lives. Many businesses thrive on the sale of French fries.
Sources:
1.https://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/fries-recipes
2.https://frenchaffair.com.au/french-fries-or-are-they/
3.http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/09/the-history-of-french-fries/
4. https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/history-of-french-fries-all-about-the-origins-of-the-worlds-favourite-potato-fritters-1786371
5.https://youtu.be/cnso5PzIS0M
6.https://youtu.be/I_u7KftpnQ
