It is not known where the fries come from. Some say from France, others, Belgium. Whatever the truth, one thing is certain–they are delicious, and probably everyone has eaten them at least once in his life. They can be eaten solo, combined with meat, fish, or vegetables, with or without ketchup, mayo, or any other sauce. Even though they are quite caloric, it is hard to deny yourself.
The residents of Namur were particularly fond of fried fish. When the Sambra River froze over one cold winter in 1680, people turned their interest to fried potatoes instead of fish.
Namur was also a French-speaking region, which may be where fries took their name from.
Whether this will succeed remains to be seen, as the committee must first establish the origin of the dish. The resolution of the Franco-Belgian dispute will not come to an end soon enough. Although the legend of Namur sounds convincing, the city eventually passed under French jurisdiction and the date given in the legend (1680) cannot be verified.
Ordinary potatoes can be replaced by yams. Some people let their imagination run wild even more and prepare the dish based on beets, parsnips, carrots, squab, or eggplant. One question remains: are these still French fries?
They may contain too much water, so it is advisable to use ones that have been left to rest for a while after being harvested.
This is to rinse the starch that is there from the surface of the potato. After the bath, the cut potatoes need to be thoroughly dried.
Chefs agree that real fries should be fried twice. With two frying, the first one is called balancing – they are then immersed in oil at a lower temperature (about 160 degrees Celsius) to boil their insides. The second frying is done in very hot oil (about 190 degrees Celsius) to fry the skin and make it crispy. After frying, the fries are soaked in fat, which significantly increases the caloric content of the dish. To lower it, you can bake in the oven instead of frying.
As recently as the 1990s, fries at McDonald’s were fried in a mixture of 93 percent beef tallow and 7 percent cottonseed oil.
It is best to drain them on a paper towel/cloth or in a colander and let them “drip” a little.
The better processed in the factory, the sooner from unwrapping they can appear on our plates.
Also harmful to health is the salt that is sprinkled on them after frying. The sodium contained in salt when it accumulates in our bodies in excess retains water in the body, raises blood pressure, and can damage the kidneys.
Chain restaurants as McDonald’s and Burger King sell 1/3 of all the fries served in American restaurants.
The book Cookery for Maids and All Work by E. Warren gave a recipe for French fried potatoes. The recipe was quite simple by today’s standards, directing that potatoes be cut into strips, deep-fried (one at a time) until browned and served sprinkled with salt.
He served them to his guests under the name “potatoes fried the French way” as early as 1802.