Belgium vs. France: Who Really Invented French Fries?

While French fries are commonly associated with France due to their name, there is an ongoing debate about their true place of origin. Belgium claims that French fries were first fried and sold on the street in Belgium in the late 16th century. However, some culinary historians argue that it was actually the French who popularized frying potato slices during the 18th century. Regardless of which country can rightfully take credit for inventing them, both Belgian and French cooking helped establish French fries as a global snack and side dish enjoyed around the world today.

The Belgian Claim to French Fry Origins

In Belgium, written texts from the 1680s describe local street vendors frying battered fish and locally grown potato slices in grease. This is among the earliest firm evidence of French Fries preparation. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Belgian merchants and fishermen continued to popularize the fried potato snack. After World War II, when the United States stationed many soldiers in Belgium, they discovered Belgian frites stands and brought their taste for the crispy potatoes back home. Today, thick-cut Belgian frites fried twice for crunchiness remain a prized regional specialty, sold from iconic street carts and shop fronts nationwide.

The French Role in French Fry History

While Belgium was popularizing fried potatoes locally in the 1600s, across the border the French aristocracy was experimenting with new ways to cook potatoes in the 1700s. Thomas Jefferson saw both boiled and fried potatoes served during his travels to France and brought seeds back to America, where frying potatoes soon caught on. In the 1800s, food writers published French recipes for "French fried potatoes." By the late 19th century, potato fries or "frites" appeared on French menus. Some historians believe this French name and cooking technique helped establish the eventual identity and global popularity of "French fries" worldwide.

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