parent nodes: French Fries | Hamburger | Martin Davis
French fries (more commonly known as chips in Britain, in Ireland and in many parts of the the Commonwealth) are cut potatoes that have been deep-fried (French-fried potatoes). They are a typical Belgian dish, but have gained international prominence due to their pre-eminence in American fast food menus, propagated by fast food chains (such as McDonalds) where they are typically served with hamburgers.
They are called French fries not because of their origin (they are by all accounts a Belgian dish) but because of the way they were originally "fried" in the French manner (that is to say frying them two times with a small pause in the middle). They can be eaten with meat, fish and vegetables or on their own (see fish and chips).
Potatoes cut and fried in this manner were first served in the United States by Thomas Jefferson at his Monticello estate after his return from his ambassadorship to France.
There is a rumor that French fries are so-called (instead of "Belgian fries") because they got that name during the First World War. American soldiers stationed in France ate the fries, and dubbed them 'French fries', although they actually originated in Belgium.
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 (often with the skin left on) to create steak fries.
In Britain chips are cut much thicker than the typical American French fry, making them less crunchy and more fluffy. This also results in a healthier dish, as the relative surface area exposed to the oil is much less. (And in another example of two nations being divided by their common language, American potato chips are what the British call "crisps".)
French fries are served with a variety of condiments, most notably ketchup, mayonnaise, tartar sauce or vinegar (especially malt vinegar). In the Netherlands peanut sauce is also popular (also called sateh sauce, after the Indonesian meat sateh on which the same sauce is used). In Quebec, French fries are the main component of a dish called "poutine" a mixture of french fries with fresh cheese curds, covered with gravy. In the United States, fries can be coated with melted cheese, often in combination with chili.
French fries may contain a large amount of fat from frying and from some condiments or topping and may be bad for your health. Some researchers have also suggested that the high termperatures used for frying such dishes may have results harmful to health.