Origin of French Fries: Yes they are indeed French!
Let’s end the stupid debate here folks. French fries are 100% French. Potatoes were introduced into Europe via Spain from South America and popularised in France in the 18th century, more than 100 years before any Belgium claim. Sorry Belgies, you may love fries but they are indeed French (and sorry to many French snobs who would prefer it to be that way). The French fry is basically French street food and while you can cut them large or thin and call it whatever the practice still originated in France. Here is the evolution!
Augustin Parmentier: Champion of the Potato in France
In the annals of culinary history, Augustin Parmentier’s name might not be readily associated with French fries, yet his tireless advocacy for the humble potato was pivotal in shaping its journey in France. Parmentier’s groundbreaking efforts transformed the potato, a tuber once dismissed as hog feed, into a staple that would eventually take center stage as a beloved street food – the French fry.
During the Seven Years’ War, Parmentier, then an army pharmacist, was captured by the Prussians and experienced eating potatoes, a dietary revolution in the making. This was a profound shift from the prevailing French opinions, which had been marred by fears that potatoes caused diseases, leading to the French Parliament’s ban on their cultivation in 1748 due to concerns about leprosy. However, while in prison in Prussia, Parmentier was forced to cultivate and eat potatoes and found these notions to be false.
Upon his release and return to Paris in 1763, Parmentier began his pioneering studies in nutritional chemistry, remembering the dietary potential of potatoes from his time as a captive. Despite significant resistance and even being prohibited from growing potatoes in his garden at the Invalides hospital where he worked, Parmentier embarked on a more aggressive campaign to promote the potato. In 1772, his persistence bore fruit when the Paris Faculty of Medicine proclaimed potatoes were edible for humans, overturning the previous misconceptions and the law that banned their cultivation.
Parmentier then ingeniously used social and psychological strategies to elevate the potato’s status. He hosted dinners with dishes centered around potatoes, inviting notables such as Benjamin Franklin, Antoine Lavoisier, King Louis XVI, and Queen Marie Antoinette to help change the public’s perception. He also orchestrated a clever ruse involving armed guards around his potato patch, suggesting its high value, and instructed them to allow the “theft” of the potatoes to further pique public interest.
Yet, it was a famine in 1785 that ultimately propelled the potato to widespread acceptance in France. After this critical period, its popularity soared. By 1795, potatoes were being cultivated extensively, even in the royal gardens at Tuileries, which had been converted into potato fields. This rise in acceptance laid the foundation for the potato to become a cultural and culinary mainstay.
In Paris, the versatile potato found its ultimate expression in the form of “frites,” sold by push-cart vendors on the streets. These French fries would become emblematic of French cuisine, a testament to Parmentier’s enduring legacy and his innovative efforts to transform a once-maligned tuber into a cherished ingredient.
The Original French Street Food
Fast forward to the late 1780s in Paris, the vendors around the bustling Pont Neuf bridge began to offer an enticing new delicacy to passersby – thin, crisp strips of deep-fried potatoes. This delectable street food, credited to François Louis Bracq, a vendor operating on Pont Neuf, quickly gained popularity and later came to be known worldwide as ‘French Fries’.
Historical records, including those from French culinary historian Pierre Leclerc, vividly paint a picture of French fries’ birthplace, firmly asserting their French origin and debunking the erroneous claim of their Belgian roots.
US President, Thomas Jefferson: Promoter of French Fries in America
Into this narrative enters Thomas Jefferson, the American Minister to France from 1785 to 1789. With a newfound love for French cuisine, Jefferson was enamored by these deep-fried potato strips. “The potatoes… are cut into small strips and fried while raw in fat,” he wrote, documenting one of the earliest American references to the preparation of French fries.
When he returned to America, Jefferson brought with him this recipe, which his French chef, Honoré Julien, prepared at an 1802 White House dinner. ‘Potatoes served in the French manner’ were a hit at Presidential dinners, subsequently gaining popularity nationwide, a gastronomic revolution that Jefferson spearheaded.
You can in fact recreate the original American (French inspired) recipe Thomas Jeffereson used to enjoy:
Thomas Jefferson era Potatoes in the French Manner
Disproving the Belgian Myth
An essential part of this historical narrative is debunking the myth that French fries have a Belgian origin. Notably, French fries were introduced to America directly from France in the early 19th century, nearly a century before the start of World War I, effectively disproving the theory attributing the name of the dish to American soldiers stationed in Belgium.
Furthermore, there’s compelling evidence suggesting that French immigrants to Belgium likely brought the French fries with them, a century before Belgium’s claim to the invention of French fries. Thus, the French origin of the dish is irrefutable, both historically and culturally. While in recent decades, Belgians have become champions of French fries and published many claims, there is no historical evidence that predates evidence of French fries in France.
Conclusion
Evidence of French origin of French fries predates Belgian’s claim by well roughly 200 years. The claim American soldiers discovered it during WW1 is completely and categorically false. Further, it is clear the French started consuming potatoes as a result of Parementier in the 1700s and that there is evidence of French fries being consumed as street food in Paris e.g. the Pont Neuf connection and across France during the 17o0s. It is also clear that the French codified ways to enjoy potatoes during the 1700s, which then spread to the United States via Thomas Jefferson (and to other nations e.g. Britain in the late 1700s, early 1800s.
While Belgians love their French fries and make some of the best in the world, there is no historic evidence to support any of their claims. So when you enjoy the golden, crispy delight of French fries, remember its storied history rooted firmly in French soil.