July 13: Celebrate National French Fry Day!

Originally written on July 13, 2020 – updated 2023

What could be better than potato fried in oil?
Visit your favorite fast food, a restaurant, or try frying up your own French fries. It comes in so many different cuts and styles, there’s a favorite for everyone to enjoy! And don’t forget ketchup!

Whether you call them French Fries, Chips, Finger Chips, or French-Fried Potatoes, this delicious treat is loved around the world and by all ages, and French Fries day celebrates them.
Not to be confused with the American Chips, which are thinly sliced pieces of potato fried until crisp, French Fries are the delicious result of batons of potato cut to various thicknesses and then fried in oil.
A wide selection of condiments such as ketchup, ranch dressing, vinegar, mayonnaise, honey mustard, cheese, and many more complement them.
As a healthier alternative, sweet potatoes also make delicious fries and accompany many dishes on menus around the world. Other varieties are baked and come in unusual shapes such as curls, waffles, crinkle, or tornado cut.
Beyond the condiments, chefs and home cooks sprinkle several seasonings to add flavor and spice to their fries, including a little garlic and onion powder, chili or cheese and jalapeños.

Either way, the favorite side dish of hamburgers and other delicious food generally have a golden texture, varying from soft to crispy, and most often served with little more than a dusting of salt.
Of course, National French Fry Day was created in order to celebrate this amazing dish!
Whether you have French fries when you get McDonalds or you often cook your own fries at home, there is no denying that the addition of this potato dish can take any sort of meal to the next level.
Thus, it is a good thing that we have a National French Fry Day, so that we can indulge in as many French fries as we want and not feel guilty about it!

French Fries are one of many foods whose name is most misleading, because it seems the origins of this fat fried food are actually in Belgium.
The story of their creation can be found in a family manuscript dated 1781, which reveals that potatoes were originally cut into the shape of fish and served in lieu of the fish normally caught in a series of small villages in Belgium. It seems the river had frozen over and the fish they normally caught and fried were unable to be caught.
Why they’re called “French” is often attributed to troops coming over during World War I who got their hands on Belgian Fries. Not by chance, the official language of the Belgian army at that time was French, and as a result the men thought they were in France rather than Belgium.
Interestingly, in that region of the world, they are still called “Flemish Fries” to further complicate matters! And now, these treats are loved the world round, even becoming the ‘national snack’ of the Netherlands.
In any case, the expression “French Fried Potatoes” first occurs in print in English in the 1856 work Cookery for Maids of All Work by E. Warren.

With their popularity, it’s not surprising that the world has come up countless different varieties of this delicious food.
So one of the best ways to celebrate National French Fry Day is to eat them!
The simplest variation is to put chopped raw onions in some ketchup, and eat them up like often people do in the Netherlands while, for the more adventurous, try some of other varieties!
An example could be Canadian Poutine, a classic way to have French Fries, originating in Canada. This dish is delicious, combining the crispy soft texture of the French Fries with rich beef gravy, and topped with cheese curds.
You can also try Greek French Fries. The Mediterranean rarely fail at making an already delicious food rich and full of the flavors of local taste. If you love the classic Mediterranean flavors of cheese, garlic, and oregano, then these fries are going to leave you smiling. The key ingredients are Extra Virgin Olive Oil to fry them in, after which you toss them in garlic salt, Greek Oregano, and your choice of cheese such as parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, greek feta or others. To get the full flavor you’re going to want to stick to the white crumbly cheese of the region, Mazithra cheese.
These are a few example that can help enhance National French Fry Day, and really bring out the amazing versatility of this centuries old treat.
So get out your deep frier, chop up some potatoes, and celebrate National French Fry Day!

Of course, you don’t need to take inspiration from around the world in order to make your own French fry creation. Be creative!