History of: Liège Waffle | Belgian Frites

Potatoes were already fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of "the Meuse" valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region would have their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to substitute.

The Dutch concur with a Netherlandish or Belgian origin when referring to Vlaamse frieten ('Flemish fries'). In 1857, the newspaper Courrier de Verviers devotes an article to Fritz (assumed pun with 'frites'), a Belgian entrepreneur selling fries at fairs, calling them "le roi des pommes de terre frites" (The king of fried potatoes). In 1862, a stall selling fried potatoes called "Max en Fritz" was established near Het Steen in Antwerpen.

As for the name "French fries", it is alleged to come from either the Irish "to french", meaning "to cut", or from the American allies who, after landing in the Ardennes, tried our tasty fried potatoes and called them "French fries", French for the native language and fries because of how they were cooked. Either way, fries are definitely Belgian!