# French Fries **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 1, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572 "2002-09-01T17:29:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/1 "2002-09-01T17:29:51Z")
What? French fries, you say? But I see no French Fries! You, Monsieur Le Hamster, are a selfish pig, to eat all the French fries in the OP and not leave any for the rest of us. Shame. I’m taking a wild guess here–this is probably responding to the Staff Report, [What’s the origin of French fries?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfrenchfry.html) ---
**Author:** ![PBear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@PBear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/2 "2002-09-02T03:04:33Z")
Surprised Dex didn’t mention one of the most hotly disputed issues on the subject, viz, whether they’re more correctly referred to as [Belgian fries](http://www.belgianfries.com/). Without having taken a formal survey, my impression is that most (though by no means all) serious foodies think the answer is yes. For example, Jeffrey Steingarten, in his collection of fabulous food essays, _The Man Who Ate Everything_ (1997): “In fact, French fries are not classically French. Belgians point out that true French fries are made by using two frying baths, the first at a lower temperature than the second … and that French cooks did not double-fry their fries until well into this century.” BTW, what OP? Or was that the joke? ---
**Author:** ![flash45](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5f9b8f/32.png) [@flash45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flash45)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2002, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/3 "2002-09-02T11:51:31Z")
Here here I concur with you that French fries are in fact Belgian. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2002, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/4 "2002-09-02T14:54:28Z")
No, PBear, that wasn’t the OP, which was eaten by the hamsters. I have no clue what the original Original Post was. We’ll just have to wait for the original Original Poster to come along and tell us what the original Original Post originally was. Chronic server slowness, occasionally swallows OPs, generates running gag having to do with “hamsters having eaten” it. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/5 "2002-09-03T13:55:20Z")
I just wanted to say that **Dex** is way off the mark in his Staff Report here. The level of objectivity is so low as to render this completely unscientific and more along the line of an essay by Montaigne or Swift. Fries with mayo are _ **yummy** _. So ner. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/6 "2002-09-03T14:07:15Z")
ranch dressing. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/7 "2002-09-03T14:27:07Z")
Sad to report Dex that I got mayonnaise with my mussels, chips and Leffe Blond at a Belgian joint last week. So it’s not just the Dutch. ---
**Author:** ![monterey86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@monterey86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monterey86)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/8 "2002-09-03T16:26:50Z")
French Fryologists agree that the French was probably invented in Belgium, not France. [Thank the Belgians for “French” fries](http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/05/16/fp16s1-csm.shtml) Walloons (French Speaking Belgians) and their accomplishments are often mistakenly attributed to France. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/9 "2002-09-03T21:01:01Z")
French fries covered with melted chedder and Monterey Jack cheese and dipped in Ranch Dressing … mmmmm Some like to take the cholesterol level even higher and added bacon bits. ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/10 "2002-09-04T15:31:09Z")
I always thought cheese and fries (in UK, cheese and chips) was a Scottish delicacy. Of course, being simple souls we make it with grated cheddar sprinkled over our fries. Super-high in fat, cholesterol and stodge: all the food groups that make life worth living. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/11 "2002-09-05T00:49:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Fries with mayo are yummy. So ner. Is this a _Swiftian_ response? Gotta be. Do you eat _children_ also? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/12 "2002-09-05T17:16:37Z")
Only with mayonnaise. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/13 "2002-09-06T14:49:15Z")
mao-naise. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lisa\_Ann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Lisa\_Ann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa_Ann)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/14 "2002-09-06T18:38:18Z")
**Mustard!** ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/15 "2003-02-24T07:17:05Z")
I’ve gotten into a debate on the whole “french fries comes from to french” issue on a different board and my reference to SD has brought me a barrage of anectdotal stuff from various food and trivia pages. I’d happily shoot them down, if not for one thing, where can I find a source for calling french fries french fries in the mid 1850s. Merriam-Websters says 1914 for ‘french fries’ and 1941! for ‘to french’, and all the anectdotes refer to potatos fried in the french manner, and says the actual term ‘french fry’ came back with soldiers from WWI. I need a solid 1850s ‘french fry’ quote! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/16 "2003-02-24T14:02:05Z")
Sigh. I didn’t retain details, so I’ll have to go back and check my sources. It’ll take some time, however, as real life is being intrusive. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/17 "2003-02-24T20:53:40Z")
**naita** If I can be so bold, I’ll try to add some info while Dex greases the wheels so that the SDMB train keeps running. \ Barry Popik, who is usually referred to on these boards and elsewhere as an “indefatigable researcher,” offers a cite from 1828(which pre-dates Dex’ original date, but hey, Dex writes well and WE find dates!) which he posted to the American Dialectic Society List. It is as follows: ``` THE COOK AND HOUSEWIFE'S MANUAL ``` by Mrs. Margaret Dods The Third Edition Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, and Bell and Bradfute 1828 "Pg. 220: The French fry sliced potatoes in goose-dripping, (Pg. 221–ed.) which has a very high relish; and before serving, drain them on a towel before the fire. (FWIW for “french fried potatoes”–ed.) This is certainly one of the earlier cites of a method of cooking potatoes which came from the French(or Belgians, if you want some controversy). It is almost certainly where the modern “french fry” originates. I’m afraid that the term “french fry” to indicate what is known today as the long, slender multi-quartered potato which is then deep fried, appears about 1915 or so, the way the MW says. Now, about “to french.” [no, not the kiss, you perverts]. **Dex** says the OED cites that manner of “whatever” from 1895. It does. But it doesn’t mean what you think it means(to quote Mandy Patinkin?). Here’s the cite: _1895 Standard Dict., French v. To prepare, as a chop, by partially cutting the meat from the shank and leaving bare the bone so as to fit it for convenient handling_ How’s that for “bustin’ your chops?” I’m off now to fix dinner for my kids, who were home sick today. I’ll try to find some more info for you tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Pez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5e9695/32.png) [@Pez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pez)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/18 "2003-02-24T21:37:38Z")
But of course the best way is to mix together the mayo and the ketchup, stir well and serve with Walloonish Fries ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/19 "2003-02-25T05:06:43Z")
Here you go! I ammend my comment about how early “french fry” exists(at least the french fry we know today). This is also a cite found by Barry Popik. ``` From GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, February 1896, pg. 70, col. 2: ``` _French Fry._ Pare small potatoes and cut into strips as thick as the forefinger. Drop into boiling lard (using a basket) and fry until brown and tender. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. That should keep your “came back with the GI’s from WWI” crowd quiet for a while. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572/20 "2003-02-25T05:12:16Z")
Correction. It’s the American **Dialect** Society, not _Dialectic_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/126572.md?page=2)