Fries
The history of the French Fry starts just a couple hundred years ago. When explorers returned from the New World they brought back with them potatoes. Never before seen in Europe, these tubers were not well received. Royalty thought the potato repulsive, suitable only for animals, and perhaps the poor. As the potato comes from the belladonna family there was also concern about it being potentially poisonous.
The potato really didn’t come into its own until a Frenchmen Antoine-Augustine Parmentier took up the cause of the potato as a source of excellent nutrition. By a series of clever marketing strategies he managed to both present the tuber in an appealing way to royalty and get the poor of France to accept, even covet, the new vegetable. It wasn’t long before the French Fry (fries) was first created.
The origin of the French Fry (fries) is hidden in the depths of time. No one is sure who first dropped pieces of a potato into hot oil, but the French and the Belgians both claim to be the parents of this popular treat. What is known is that by 1830 these nuggets of potato-y goodness were immensely popular in both countries. It took another century before Americans caught on to the trend.
Soldiers stationed in France during World War I discovered the snack. When they returned home they brought back their craving for the humble fries. Turning out the perfect fast food Fries is a much more complicated process than most imagine. It requires a double frying process that has to be carefully monitored. Literally millions of dollars have gone into developing a method of turning out billions of the little delights, and the top of the food chain to many is the McDonald version.
People eat French Fries with just about every topping under the sun. Granted, here in America, the most popular topping is ketchup, but it is far from the only one. In the Boston area you will find people putting malt vinegar and salt on their fries. In my hometown, “Louie’s Fries” were served drenched in gravy and covered in melted American cheese. Steak fries, the heartier version of Fries stand up to heavier toppings like Ranch or Thousand Island Dressings. And if you want to turn your Fries into a full fledged meal, top them with chili and cheese.
If you head to Europe you will find the Fries different. The Belgians swear that proper Fries can only be made in a combination of beef and horse fat, nothing else; the veggie oils used in the States are frowned upon. Toppings like curry ketchup and mayo are preferred. Mustard is the preferred topping in Norway, and you will find sugar and butter in Vietnam or tzaziki in Turkey are the favorite accompaniments.
No matter how you like your Fries there is no way to consider them a health food. To minimize their negative aspects, cut them thick, fry them in hot oil and keep them as a treat.
