# French (?) Fries

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/7776>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 25, 2000, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/7776 "2000-02-25T21:06:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Oblio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c4cdca/32.png) [@Oblio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblio)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/7776/21 "2000-02-27T02:39:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> how did this thing evolve from french fries to hispanics? it was the first time i posted a question on here, never expected so much reaction in so little time

Welcome to the SDMB

Oblio

* * *

A point in every direction is like no point at all

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/7776/22 "2000-02-27T06:47:00Z")

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I was about to accept **mazirian’s** Vanderbilt/Crum cite from [Snax Trax Through Time](http://www.snax.com/history/history1.html) as the definitive genesis of the potato chip, until I read a little further:

> [@](#):
>
> Also new in the early '50s are pork rinds, which are tasty meat snacks made by frying cured pork rinds, or “chitlins.”

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t “chitlins” some portion of the hog’s intestines? Fried cured pork rinds are more correctly known as “chicharones”.

If STTT can be wrong about pork rinds (a third rate pretender in the world o’ snax), how can we trust them with the potato chip, the Holy Grail of munchies?

## Now I don’t know what to think.

TT

“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” --James Thurber

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**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries/7776/23 "2000-02-27T23:33:00Z")

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ThufferinThuccotash wrote:

> [@](#):
>
> Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t “chitlins” some portion of the hog’s intestines? Fried cured pork rinds are more correctly known as “chicharones”.

Yes, chitlins are hog intestines. Actually, the correct spelling is **“chitterlings”** , but in common usage, the name is slurred into “chitlins”.

Pork rinds, as I understand it, are fried bits of skin. They are not to be confused with “cracklins” which were the crispy bits left over after you fried the hog’s fat to obtain lard. “Cracklins” are basically like the white part of bacon, fried to a crisp, and were most often used to make cracklin cornbread. (Just throw a few in the batter!)

I’ve never eaten them myself, though I grew up on a farm where we would slaughter the occasional hog. Our poorer neighbors would often come to help with the slaughter, and in return, they would be given part of the meat, including the “chitlins”. (This was pretty common practice.) I understand the chitlins must be scrubbed clean, **very** thoroughly, to eliminate any unwanted “flavors”.

Other, er, “delicacies” given to the poor neigbors included pig’s feet (Yummy when pickled, they claim), brains (usually fried with eggs), jowels, and various internal organs. They used to say of the hog that you could eat everything but the oink.

On a side note, there was a country store near where we lived, which always kept a big jar of pickled pigs’ feet on the counter. You could fish one out for yourself (redneck takeout, I guess). Our farm worker Red always made me stop there anytime we drove by, so he could get one.

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