French Fries, Ketchup and Mayonnaise
In a Wikipedia search of French fries, there is a wealth of information to be learned. First thing you learn is their many names and origins. In North American English they are French fries. In British English they are chips and in Indian English they are finger chips. In France they are frites. These batonnet (stick-like quarter-inch long cut) or allumette-cut (string cut) deep-fried potatoes come with a disputed origin. Some say Belgium and not France is where the tradition of frying potatoes originated.
Their three main ingredients are simply potatoes (russet potatoes most often), oil and salt. But there are any number of variations on the subject—curly fries, shoestring fries, steak fries, sweet potato fries, chili cheese fries, a cheesy dish called poutine, crinkle cut fries and waffle fries. Traditionally they are deep-fried in hot fat or oil, but in our health-conscious world today, they are often baked in the oven or prepared in vacuum fryers with lower oil content.
French fries are standard fare on menus of diners, fast food restaurants, pubs, and bars and are usually served salted. As for condiments, it can depend on where you are when you order them. They are typically eaten with ketchup in American diners; mayonnaise (in France and Belgium), white vinegar (in the U.K., Australia, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand); or are smothered in melted cheese (in the Canadian dish poutine). Poutine is a popular Québécois dish in Montreal made with French fries, cheese curds and gravy. The subject and dish are worthy of their own blog which will follow next week. Just ask Calvin Trillin, staff writer extraordinaire at the New Yorker since 1963.
French fry trivia. President Thomas Jefferson served “potatoes in the French manner” at a White House dinner in 1802. American forces serving in Belgium during World War I assumed they were a French culinary creation because French was spoken by the Belgian Army. The French and Belgians have an ongoing dispute about where fries were first cooked up. For those searching Wikipedia on the subject, there are several pages of in-depth research on that to be devoured.
Kit’s favorite French fries on the planet are from McDonald’s. On that subject, I learned from Wikipedia that in the U.S., the J.R. Simplot Company is credited with successfully commercializing French fries in frozen form during the 1940s—the decade I was born. Then, in 1967, Ray Kroc of McDonald’s contracted the Simplot company to supply his fast-food chain with frozen fries. In McLean, VA where I attended McLean HS with the Class of ‘63, our local McDonald’s was a popular place to go with friends after a fall Highlanders football game. For teenagers, it was incredibly affordable. Back then, you could order a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate milk shake for less than a dollar. Or if all you wanted was a snack, you could order their fresh-cut fries for only 10 cents a bag.
After moving to Nevada City, Kit and I discovered Mel’s Diner in nearby Auburn. They bottle their own ketchup with a label straight out of the movie, “American Graffiti.” The bottle stands on the table cap-side down—just like Kit stores ketchup on the refrigerator door shelf at home. It’s then ready to squirt on whatever you are serving and snugs right next to the mayonnaise when it goes back in the frig.
When I was growing up, I thought mayonnaise was the most disgusting condiment on the planet. Parse it into its simple ingredients—eggs, light oil (like Canola), lemon juice and a pinch of fine grain sea salt—I ate them all. But whisked together as mayo, I couldn’t stand their slightly slimy texture or taste.
Recently I was surprised to learn that mayonnaise is the condiment of choice served with French fries in France and Belgium, and for many in North America as well. And heaven forbid, it is also popular with many Americans who put mayo on hot dogs at baseball games! For those who have been served the French condiment Aioli, you may wonder if it is the same as mayonnaise. Further research reveals that unlike mayonnaise is made with garlic which I love and can never get enough of when I cook. That may be the solution for me. Add a hint of garlic to my mayo.
And there you have it. A brief blog the subject of French fries, ketchup and mayonnaise. In the battle for the perfect condiment to serve with fries, I’m guessing that Kit will always choose ketchup as his condiment of choice. Because as this tee shirt attests, Kit believes that a squirt of what he calls “secret sauce” makes every dish—plain country fare or gourmet dishes served with complex sauces—simply better.