french fries

Name

Usage

Where "chips" is the common term, "French fries" usually refers to the thin variant. In North America "chips" usually means potato chips (called "crisps" in the UK), which are deep-fried thin slices of potato. In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, "chips" can mean either potato chips or French fries; French fries are also called "hot chips" or (in South Africa) "slap chips" (IPA [slup]; 'slup' is Afrikaans for "soft").

Origin

The straightforward explanation of the term "French fried potatoes" is that it means "potatoes fried in the French manner": the verb fry can mean either sautéing or deep-fat frying, while French 'frire' unambiguously means deep frying. Thomas Jefferson, famous for serving French dishes, referred to fried potatoes in this way.^{citation needed]}

There are other, more speculative theories.

It is sometimes suggested that the verb "to french" originally meant to julienne-cut.^[1] But this term refers specifically to trimming the meat off the shanks of chops^[2] and is not attested until after "French fried potatoes" had appeared.

Other accounts say that they were once called 'German fries' but the name was changed, perhaps because Germany was the enemy in WWI and WWII. But there is no evidence that they were associated with Germans before the wars, either.

The Belgians are noted for claiming that French fries are Belgian in origin, but have presented no definitive evidence; the French have also been cited as possible creators of the dish, though in France they are often thought of as Belgian; the Belgians are the heaviest consumers of French fries.^{citation needed]} The Spanish claim^{citation needed]} that the dish was invented in Spain, the first European country in which the potato appeared via the New World colonies, and then spread to Belgium which was then under Spanish rule. Whether they were invented in Belgium or Spain, they have become Belgium's national dish, making Belgians their "symbolic" creators in Europe.

History

Many possible claims as to the origin of "French fries" exist.

Many attribute the dish to France, and offer as evidence a notation by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. "Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small slices" are noted in a manuscript in Thomas Jefferson's hand (circa 1801) and the recipe almost certainly comes from his French chef, Honoré Julien. In addition, from 1813 ("The French Cook" by Louis Ude) on recipes for what can be described as "French fries" occur in popular American cookbooks. Recipes for fried potatoes in French cookbooks date back at least to Menon's "Les soupers de la cour" (1755). The "Feeding America" Web site, a collection of historical American cookbooks, has recipes for "French fried potatoes" beginning in 1882, "Miss Parloa's New Cook Book." The Food Reference Web site gives as an early reference to the name French fried potatoes as being in 1894 in O. Henry's Rolling Stones, where a comical French detective says "Our countries are great friends. We have given you Lafayette and French fried potatoes."

During the controversy over Freedom Fries, French people from around the world repeatedly clarified that the food was actually Belgian. Belgium itself also lays claim as the "origin" of French Fries. Jo Gerard, a famous Belgian historian, claims to have proof that this recipe for potatoes was already used in 1680, in the area of the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals. (Belgian Federal Portal) In 1861, a Belgian entrepreneur named Frits is said to have opened a stand selling this product. He is also said to have given it its own name, frites, which is the French name for the dish in Belgium. Even up to today every village in Belgium has several of these fries (friterie) stands selling fries as the main dish and, in case something extra is desired, a varied choice of fried meat products to go with it.

The Spanish claim for originating French fries claims the first appearance of the recipe to have been in Galicia, where it was used as an accompaniment for fish dishes, and from which it spread to the rest of the country and then to Belgium.

The British also claim the "Chip" was invented in Yorkshire in the 1700s where it is believed that the potato was cut to the distinctive shape so that they may be lined up between two pieces of bread to make a Chip Butty.

French fries have been widely popularized world-wide by fast-food chains like McDonald's and Burger King. This came about through the introduction of the frozen French fry invented by the J.R. Simplot Company in the early 1950's. Before the handshake deal between Ray Kroc of McDonald's and Jack Simplot of the J.R. Simplot Company, potatoes were hand-cut and peeled in the restaurants, but the frozen product reduced preparation time and aided the expansion of the McDonald's franchise. One of the few fast-food chains which still prepares fresh potatoes on the premises is In-N-Out Burger.

Food associations

Besides being a popular snack in themselves, French fries are often the standard accompaniment to other foods:

• In the United States, hamburgers.
• In France, grilled steak: steak-frites.
• In the United Kingdom, fried fish: fish and chips.
• In Belgium, steamed mussels: moules-frites.
• In Germany, curried sausage: Currywurst

Variants

French fries have numerous variants, from "thick-cut" to "shoestring", "curly", and "waffle-cut". They can also be coated with breading and spices to create "seasoned fries", or cut thickly with the skin left on to create "potato wedges" or without the skin to create "steak fries", essentially the American equivalent of the British "chip". Sometimes French fries are cooked in the oven as a final step in the preparation (having been coated with oil during preparation at the factory): these are often sold frozen, and are called "oven fries."

In France, the thick-cut fries are called "pommes Pont-Neuf", cut about 10mm square. Thinner variants are "pommes allumettes" (matchstick potatoes), 3-4mm square, "pommes pailles" (straw potatoes), somewhat thinner, and "pommes gaufrette" (waffle potatoes), cross cut. The two-bath technique is standard. (Bocuse)

In the British Isles, Australia, and elsewhere, the term French fries is only used by fast-food restaurants serving narrow-cut (shoestring) fries. Traditional chips in the United Kingdom are usually cut much thicker, typically between 3/8 and ½ inches square in cross section and cooked twice, making them less crunchy on the outside and fluffier on the inside. Since the surface-to-volume ratio is lower, they have a lower fat content. Chips are part of the popular British takeaway dish fish and chips. In the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, very few towns or villages are without a chip shop.

According to American culinary celebrity Alton Brown, Belgian pommes frites are usually fried in horse fat. Others maintain that traditionally, ox fat was used, although now nut oil is usually preferred for health reasons. Belgian fries must be fried twice, and about 10-13mm thick. Fries with Mayonnaise is a national dish of Belgium, often eaten without any side orders. Even the smallest Belgian town has a frietkot (a Dutch word literally meaning 'fries shack' which has also been adopted by the French speaking part of the country in addition to the French friterie; two alternate Dutch forms are frituur, from French friture, and frietkraam, which means about the same as frietkot).

Boardwalk fries, are brine soaked fresh-cut potatoes, that are quickly deep-fried in 100% peanut oil, served in paper buckets, sprinkled lightly with salt and malt vinegar. Perhaps one of the most famous vendors of boardwalk fries is Thrasher's French Fries of Ocean City, Maryland, founded in 1929 by J.T. Thrasher. Thrasher's fries are often enjoyed with Old Bay crab seasoning, made available at the stand. The term "Boardwalk Fries" was registered by brothers Dave and Fran DiFerdinando as a franchising company trademark in 1982. In 2006, they opened two Boardwalk Fries locations in Baltimore's Oriole Park baseball stadium.

In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the word chips is used for both forms of fried potato; although the phrase hot chips unambiguously refers to French fries or chips.

Cooking

Some home cooks who prepare French fries from scratch cook them a single time in a generous amount of oil pre-heated to a temperature around 375 °F (190 °C) until they are golden and slightly crisp. The method recommended by most cookbooks, and used by many restaurants, especially those reputed to have excellent French fries, cooks them in two stages: first at a temperature at around 350 °F (177 °C), until the fries are nearly cooked but still limp and pale; then, after they have been removed from the oil and allowed to cool, at a higher temperature, generally around 375 °F (190 °C), until they are golden and crisp, which normally takes less than a minute. A third method, invented by the celebrated French chef Joël Robuchon for the home cook, is to put the sliced potatoes into a saucepan with just enough cold oil in it to cover the potatoes, then cook them over high heat until golden, stirring occasionally. Frozen French fries are widely available in supermarkets; it is not unheard of for them to be baked instead of fried.

The Belgian way of cooking frites is generally in two stages.

First fries are 'pre-fried' ('voorgebakken' in Dutch) for about 6 to 10 minutes in oil or – traditionally – beef fat preheated to about 130 to 160 °C, to cook the inner part without burning the outside, while most of the moisture is driven out. Then they are taken out, tossed to avoid clumping, and generally allowed to cool down. This intermediate product can be either frozen for "instant" deep-frying later, or as several batches of "pre-fried" fries prepared (e.g., when fries stands are opened for the day, or at home ahead of a company of guests) for rapid frying and almost simultaneously serving later.

The second stage involves frying for about two to four minutes in oil or beef fat preheated to 175 to 195 °C (as high as the oil or fat can safely stand: a too high temperature breaks it down to rather poisonous compounds). The (cool) batches must be small enough relative to the quantity of oil or fat for its preheated temperature to stay sufficiently high already during the first half minute of the frying process. Generally the cook is guided more by the color of the product than by timing ; and by experience with the particular variety of potato. As rule-of-the-thumb one might wait till the fries start to float near the surface. Once more the fries are sturdily tossed and preferably also kind of centrifuged (vigorously swerving the batch around in a wide recipient, in the shape of the base of a cone upside down, held in front of the cook's belly – common for professional batch frying), and shortly tossed again – thus removing excessive fattiness and preventing loss of the outer crispness.

Ideally, the fries have a golden to gold-brown appearance and a bite through the crispy outside reveals a soft inside. For a given depth of the crispy crust, the balance with the soft cooked potato inside is determined by the thickness; no less than 13 mm traditionally to 10 mm towards the end of the 20th century, before frying, are typical for Belgium. Some restaurants may cut as thin as 5 mm. In a good professional friterie stand, the cut is done in a single action by driving the whole peeled potato standing vertically, through a horizontal raster of crosswise sharp blades. This easily removable (for cleaning) and exchangeable set of blades defines the thickness of the frites.

Many frozen French fries have been pre-fried, and can be prepared either by frying or by baking.

A number of outlets in Belgium use animal fat instead of vegetable oil when frying, which gives it a taste much like roast potatoes cooked in the juice with a lamb roast).

Accompaniments

French fries are almost always salted just after cooking. They are then served with a variety of condiments, most notably tomato sauce, ketchup, curry, curry ketchup (mildly hot mix of the former), hot sauce, mayonnaise, tartar sauce, tzatziki, fry sauce, Ranch dressing, barbeque sauce, gravy, brown sauce, honey, vinegar (especially malt vinegar), piccalilli, pickled cucumber, gherkins, or very small pickled onions.

In the Netherlands, (where fries are sold in snackbars), peanut sauce is also popular (also called satay sauce, after the Malayan meat sate on which the same sauce is used). The Dutch also use the word mayonnaise to refer to frietsaus (fries-sauce) a thicker, less acidic sauce made specially to accompany French fries (as made famous in the film Pulp Fiction). Another interesting combination is Patatje Oorlog (Dutch for: French Fries War), which is French fries with a variety of sauces, a variety that differs from region to region, and even from one snackbar to another. While it sometimes means mayonnaise (or rather, frietsaus), peanut sauce and chopped raw onions, in other places it means the fries are accompanied with all condiments available. Dutch snackbars typically offer at least 8 condiments or combinations of them (the condiments are never free in the Netherlands), but some serve up to 40 different styles. The Dutch eat their fries mostly with the famous Dutch snacks such as the kroket and frikandel.

The Dutch vending points are often very similar to the ones in Belgium, though each country has a few typical accompaniments, else usually different and confusing names for them in an otherwise for the Netherlands and Flanders common language. There are pickled herring, beef or (now rarely) horsemeat stews, goulash, a wide variety of deep fried meats as chicken legs, beef or pork sticks, minced beef and/or pork and/or chicken and/or turkey in all shapes (balls, sticks, sausages) mixed with a dosage of fat and condiments to one's preference, usually factory made. An example of an additional on-the-spot preparation is sometimes in Flanders called mammoet speciaal (mammoth special), a large curryworst (frikandel in the Netherlands) deep fried and cut so as to put chopped onion in the V-shaped length and dressed with mayonnaise (as real as factory made can be, not frietsaus) and (curry-)ketchup.

In the United Kingdom the traditional accompaniments are salt and malt vinegar. More recently, particularly in the North of England and Wales, gravy and curry sauce are available from some chip shops. In the north of the United Kingdom including northern England and Scotland, Chips, Cheese and Gravy is a popular dish.

In Australia, chicken salt is widely used in preference to plain salt.

In Germany, accompaniments are usually limited to ketchup and mayonnaise. These two are often combined, which is commonly called Pommes rot-weiß ("fries red and white"). Although mustard may also be available at the same fast food stand to serve with Bratwurst, it is used to accompany French Fries less commonly. During Gerhard Schröder's term, some Germans jokingly referred to a combination of salted French fries ("Pommes", or "Fritten") with ketchup and a large Currywurst as Kanzlerplatte (Chancellor's Dish) because Schröder was said to prefer this kind of fast food. Other "nicknames" are "Bottroper Platte" (Bottrop plate), referring to the city of Bottrop in the Ruhr area or "Pommes Schranke" (Fries "barrier"), reffering to the common red and white markings on barriers.

In Denmark the traditional accompaniment to French fries is remoulade sauce.

In the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, French fries are the main component of a dish called poutine: a mixture of French fries with fresh cheese curds, covered with a hot gravy, optionally with browned ground beef and/or a vegetable such as green peas mixed in. This dish is most popular in Quebec fast food chains such as La Belle Province, and Lafleur Restaurants. A similar variant, Disco fries is found in several New England cities. In Newfoundland, Canada 'Newfie Fries' are comprised of French fries topped with turkey stuffing, peas, cheese and gravy.

In the United States, fries are sometimes coated with melted cheese, called cheese fries. Often this is in combination with chili. Cheese fries are a staple of New Jersey diners. Variations of cheese fries include fries covered with melted cheese, usually Cheez Whiz, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, or garlic and cheese fries (cheese with garlic mayonnaise). The American fast-food restaurants Checkers and Rallys serve "fully loaded fries": seasoned fried covered in melted American cheese, ranch dressing and bacon bits.
Mid-Atlantic States often put Old Bay Seasoning on fries. These are sometimes referred to as "beach fries."^[3]
In Utah, and the surrounding area, French fries are often served with fry sauce, a mixture of spices, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
In the Pacific Northwest, especially the Seattle area, fries are often served with tartar sauce, which may sometimes be mixed with mustard. In California, especially San Diego, french fries are covered with cheese, carne asada, sour cream, and guacamole. These are called carne asada fries and are served almost exclusively in taco shops.

In the Philippines they are often served with a sprinkling of cheese powder.

In Vietnam, restaurants are usually found serving fries with sugar over a dollop of soft butter.

In Pakistan, they are served on the street with a mint cilantro sauce, pudina ki chutney.

Health aspects

French fries may contain a large amount of fat (usually saturated) from frying and from some condiments or topping. Some researchers have suggested that the high temperatures used for frying such dishes may have results harmful to health (see acrylamides). In the United States about ¼ of vegetables consumed are prepared as French fries and are believed to contribute to widespread obesity when trans fats are present. Frying French fries in beef tallow, the traditional but recently discarded McDonald's recipe, adds saturated fat to the diet. Replacing tallow with tropical oils such as palm oil simply substitutes one saturated fat for another. Replacing tallow with partially hydrogenated oil reduces cholesterol but adds trans fat. ^[4][5][6]

Freedom fries

Full article: Freedom fries

On March 11, 2003, the cafeteria menus in the three United States House of Representatives office buildings changed the name of French fries to freedom fries in a symbolic culinary rebuke of France stemming from anger over that country's opposition to the United States government's invasion of Iraq. As of August 2, 2006, they were back on the menu as French fries in the United States House of Representatives. ^[7]

Legal issues

In 1994, the well-known owner of Stringfellows nightclub in London, Peter Stringfellow, took exception to McCain Foods' use of the name "Stringfellows" for a brand of long thin French fries and took them to court. He lost the case (Stringfellows v McCain Food (GB) Ltd (1984)) on the basis that there was no connection in the public mind between the two uses of the name, and therefore McCain's product would not have caused the nightclub to lose any sales [1] [2].

In June 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture, with the advisement of a federal district judge from Beaumont, Texas, classified batter-coated French fries as a vegetable under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. Although this move was mostly for trade reasons (French fries do not meet the standard to be listed as a "processed food"), this received significant media attention partially due to the documentary Super Size Me.

Notes

1. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Ed.
2. ^ "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" (Oxford English Dictionary).
3. ^ Sunset Grille Menu Sunset Grille (accessed June 27, 2006)
4. ^ Fats and Cholesterol, Harvard School of Public Health retrieved 14 Sep 2006
5. ^ Trans: The Phantom Fat, Nutrition Action Healthletter (Center for Science in the Public Interest) retrieved 14 Sep 2006
6. ^ Dietary fats: Know which types to choose, by Mayo Clinic Staff, 22 Jun 2006 – © 1998-2006 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) retrieved 14 Sep 2006
7. ^ French fries back on US House of Representatives menu, 2 Aug 2006 – BBC News

References

• Paul Bocuse, La Cuisine du marché, Paris, 1992.

External links

• Authentic fry recipe