French Fries Day

The 13th of July is French Fries Day (yay!) Watch this video for some mind-blowing fries facts!

Whether you call them ‘French Fries’, ‘Chips’, Finger Chips, French-Fried Potatoes or as we call them here in South Africa, “Slup Tjips” this delicious treat is loved around the world, and French Fries day celebrates them.

French Fries are the delicious result of ‘batons’ of potato cut to various thicknesses and then fried in oil.

The outside of this staple companion food to hamburgers and other grease-ball favourites generally have a golden texture, varying from soft to crispy, and most often served with little more than a dusting of salt.

History of the French Fry

French Fries are one of many foods whose name is most misleading, as the origins of this fat-fried food seem to be 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. 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. Now, these treats are loved around the world, even becoming the ‘national snack’ of the Netherlands.

How to Celebrate National French Fry Day

With the popularity of the French Fry, it’s not surprising that the world has come up with as many different varieties of this delicious food as you could imagine. So one of the best ways to celebrate French Fry Day is to host a party dedicated to celebrating the international menu the fried potato has created. The simplest variation is simply to put chopped raw onions in some ketchup and eat them up with fries like in the Netherlands. For the more adventurous, try some of the varieties below!

If you’re more interested in a healthy alternative, here are our top three replacements for the oily potato!

1. Zucchini Fries

Zucchini fries are by far the best alternative to french fries. If you’ve ever had one of these crunchy, delicious babies that are soft at the centre just like original potato french fries, you’d know that they are really the way to go when you’re trying to get essential nutrients from green veggies but are still craving that uncomparable fries crunch!

2. Beet Fries

While these babies are more chips than they are fries, traditional french fries come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, so why shouldn’t their alternatives?

3. Carrot Fries

Roasted carrots are very underrated, especially carrot fries. Bake them with salt and paprika and top them with some sriracha mayo and you have a deliciously nutritious (but spicy!) side dish to any meal.

Show us a picture of how you like to enjoy your fries below!

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