I must admit, I am a foodie. When I travel my first priority, after sightseeing, is places and food to eat. This past Christmas we traveled to Belgium. One thing I discovered is that Belgians take their beer (they have 1000 different varieties), mussels, waffles, and fries very seriously. Just like famous detective Hercules Poirot would find offense in being called a Frenchie, Belgians are not thrilled that their famous creation, that has become a staple of any red blooded American’s BBQ, is called “French” fries. Belgians take pride in the special way they prepare the humble fried spud.
The origins of fries can be traced to a geographical error made by the American soldiers stationed in Belgium during World War I. They mistakenly believed they were situated in France, due to the fact that part of Belgium speaks French. When introduced to the delicacy, the soldiers nicknamed these fried potatoes “French fries”.
However, the story of fries goes back to the 15th century when the Spaniards discovered potatoes and brought them to Europe, and 200 years later the people of Liège and Dinant, which are located in what is now the southern part of Belgium, started to fry them. It is believed the original idea came from the practice of catching and frying small fish from the Meuse river. As the river froze during winter, people used the same procedure but with potatoes instead, and fries were born.
What makes Belgian fries special is not only the quality of the potato, it has to be old potato such as Idaho or Russet, but also upon the temperature before cooking. The fries cannot be frozen or too soft before frying, as they need the perfect balance to ensure that once fried, they are crispy and delicious. The perfect Belgian frites are also no more than 0.4 inches thick, and the procedure involves frying the potatoes twice. In fact, they are even prepared in a special oil made from a mix of horse and cow fat.
In 2014 Belgian fries were added to the UNESCO list of Cultural Treasures.
Of course, upon my return I had to recreate the experience. To begin, I needed a recipe and a few gadgets. Gadgets were easy, the recipe was a bit harder. After a long search I found my perfect recipe, but had to tweak it a bit. Below are items you may need to prepare perfect fries and my tweeks to the recipe.
- Old Russet or Idaho potatoes
- Starfrit Gourmet French Fry Cutter
- Measuring cups
- Electric deep fryer, if you have one, or Copper Deep Frying Pan if you don’t
- Deep-fat thermometer
- Perfect recipe
For frying oil I recommend Avocado oil, which can be picked up in any supermarket. Do not use corn or canola oil. For mayo, because the only way to eat Belgian fries is with mayo, never ketsup, use Keto mayo. It is as close you come to having the same taste you would get when eating in Belgium.
Go ahead, give it a try. You will never be able to eat that famous brand of fries again.
