This weekend, I was eating sandwiches and chips with my family, joined by a few of my cousins visiting from England. Somehow, the conversation arose about how in England they call “fries” chips, and “chips” crisps. My dad also chimed in, adding that in previous years, there was a debate between the US and France about the name French fries. Much to my surprise, I also learned that apparently French fries weren’t even made in France! This lunch experience left me wondering, why are fries called French fries?
It all started in Belgium, in the late 1600s, where potatoes first began being fried. According to historians, villagers during this time would usually fry fish as their main source of food. However, in the winter months when the river was frozen, they would turn to other food sources like potatoes, and fry them the same way they would fish. Since one of the main languages in Belgium is French, people began calling them “French fries”. That being said, there are some stories claiming that fries were first made in France, or that they may even be Spanish.
Thomas Jefferson is said to be the first person to introduce fries to America. In his case, he first had them in France during the time that he was serving as the American Minister from 1784-1789. He called them pommes de terre frites à cru en petites tranches which translates to raw potatoes deep-fried in small cuttings. During this time the fries were cut into circles (instead of the classic stick-like shape we have today). The circular shape at the time is said to be the reason that European countries began calling them “chips”. In America, linguists report that later, fries were called French fried potatoes. From here on, it was shortened to French fried, and then finally French fries. Then came the 1960s when people began referring to them as plain ol’ fries.
It is interesting to see such a deep history attached to a world-famous food. Belgians believe French fries to be an integral part of their culture; in fact, they have the world’s only French fry museum, and are said to consume the most fries compared to any other country. A few years prior, Belgians were actually petitioning UNESCO to make fries an official icon of Belgian heritage.
Language is an iffy concept, especially when it comes to food. I wonder how other words that we commonly use today got their name and began evolving in different areas around the globe. I hope you learned something new today about everyone’s favourite food – French fries (Or chips? How about French-fried potatoes? Maybe I’ll stick to fries…)!