# Why are they called "French" fries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700 "2003-03-12T00:47:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/1 "2003-03-12T00:47:18Z")
Due to this silly little nonsense: [http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/03/11/sprj.irq.fries/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/03/11/sprj.irq.fries/index.html) It got me to wondering where the term French Fries came from. The are not made in France. Heck, the french call these Pom frit (potatoes being called Apples of the Earth by the french) and the english call these chips. Why do americans call this wholesome american creation “french”? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/2 "2003-03-12T00:49:59Z")
[Here ya go](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfrenchfry.html). ---
**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/3 "2003-03-12T00:56:22Z")
Me thinks we should change their name for a while.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/4 "2003-03-12T01:06:01Z")
Change their name? Why? What’s wrong with French fries? ---
**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/5 "2003-03-12T01:18:30Z")
politics - just for a while ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/6 "2003-03-12T01:32:34Z")
Ah, don’t you think that’s a little silly? I mean, can you picture anyone seriously considering calling French fries something as outlandish as “freedom fries” beacuse of international politics? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/7 "2003-03-12T01:45:27Z")
What’s next? Call sauerkraut “liberty cabbage” or something? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/8 "2003-03-12T05:02:22Z")
Silly as it sounds, are you aware that what we now know as “French Toast” was called “German Toast” before World War I? So this food-names-as-political-statement thing is not quite new. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/9 "2003-03-12T05:23:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Silly as it sounds, are you aware that what we now know as “French Toast” was called “German Toast” before World War I? So this food-names-as-political-statement thing is not quite new. **cm**. I’m sure you posted this in good faith, but I doubt that it’s true. Could you cite your source for the info? The OED cites “French toast” of the egg variety, cited from 1882 thusly: > [@](#): > > 1882 F. E. OWENS Cook Bk. 128 French toast. Make a batter of two eggs, one-half cup of milk, pinch of salt, and tea~spoon of cornstarch. Dip thin slices of bread in and fry brown in a well-buttered frying pan. Now, if you call it French Toast in 1882, praytell why did you need to call it “German Toast?” And, for what it’s worth, the term “German Toast” just about doesn’t exist. Methinks your source is rather suspect. Not YOU, mind you. You are OK. It’s just your source. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/10 "2003-03-12T05:29:40Z")
I like the sound of **Chirac fries**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/11 "2003-03-12T05:33:25Z")
X-Slayer said > [@](#): > > It got me to wondering where the term French Fries came from. The are not made in France If you REALLY want to know, we have done/are still doing three threads about this. Warning: read at your peril. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=133520&highlight=french+fries](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=133520&highlight=french+fries) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=133974&highlight=french+fries](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=133974&highlight=french+fries) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158097&highlight=french+fries](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158097&highlight=french+fries) ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/12 "2003-03-12T08:18:10Z")
No more French Toast or French Fries? My late night combos at Denny’s are ruined! ---
**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/13 "2003-03-12T11:23:14Z")
I think that we could perhaps just call them “fries” and therefore not offend any country. We could be diplomats. ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/14 "2003-03-12T11:55:38Z")
the french in french fries does not mean french the nationality, it is short for “frenched”. Frenched being “food cut in strips”. So you can have “french” anything. It’s frenched when cut into strips. And yes, the Belgians did invent them, even brought them over to the UK, and is now considered over there to be their national dish. It was also the Belgians that brought over Hoppe, one of the main ingredients in lager. So the Uk lager and chips, are actually belgian. Belgians call French fries “frieten” and that word is also used to discribe something that is a total loss. For when your car is in “frieten” it means it’s a total loss. mvg, ---
**Author:** ![olefin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@olefin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/olefin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/15 "2003-03-12T13:30:59Z")
Myself, I sure wouldn’t worry about offending France. **No more French anything for me!** 😃 I usually called them fries. ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/16 "2003-03-12T13:57:28Z")
Hey! Next time I’m feeling a little randy I think I’ll ask my wife if she would enjoy a little patriot kissing! ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/17 "2003-03-12T14:01:34Z")
There was one food that changed its name in relation to one of the world wars… Salisbury steak is what I’m thinking of, but I have no idea what it might have been called before… ah well. Am I the only one here who thinks the whole “change name of french fries” is utterly ridiculous? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/18 "2003-03-12T16:09:09Z")
samclem: Here’s a link (see the last paragraph) that backs up my claim, although I apparently misremembered which World War caused the change: [Free encyclopedia](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_toast) [Food reference](http://www.diningeurope.com/fancyark01.htm) and this one’s from a cookbook in 1918. Once again, I suppose it’s evidence that the change did not happen after World War I, but WWII instead: [Cookbook](http://www.bartleby.com/87/r0080.html). It seems, based on the sources I’m now looking at, that the names “French Toast” and “German Toast” were used interchangeably (although German Toast seems to have predominated) before WWII, but during/following WWII, the use of “German toast” was eradicated. Chaim Mattis Keller ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/19 "2003-03-12T16:12:09Z")
Then again, [this site](http://www.housemouse.net/hkitch10.htm) seems to indicate that the changeover occurred in the 1910’s, which would indicate WWI as I had originally recalled hearing. Chaim Mattis Keller ---
**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700/20 "2003-03-13T11:40:51Z")
I think we should not really change anything. We do not want to provoke the French any more than necessary and we are well used to these terms without thinking war. If it bugs us, we should just not eat them. It has really been interesting searching out French Fries origin. Now how about French Dressing? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-french-fries/160700.md?page=2)