Why are French fries called French fries?
When you say ‘French fries,, it may not be surprising to think that this snack came from France. Unfortunately, it is more considered as a Belgian Invention than the French. It was first called ‘pomme frites,, also called ‘pom frit, which means fried potatoes. No, the potatoes didn’t originate in Belgium. In fact, it was first believed to be cultivated in Peru and Bolivia 2,000 years ago. The story of the potato now begins.
According to earlier records, potatoes are ‘small, misshapen tubers with a bitter taste,. It was encountered by the first Europeans in ‘Colombia,. When the Spanish forces of Jimenez de Quesada came to a village and discovered these ‘truffles,. It was then brought back to Spain but didn’t gain too much popularity because of its bitter taste. It was still bred and the Spaniards were able to produce less bitter potatoes in their time.
The popularity of potatoes only rocketed when a french officer named ‘Parmentier, told the King and Queen of France (King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette) the story about the food he ate during the time when he was a prisoner of ‘Seven Years War,. The queen broke her habit of eating cake and munched on potatoes. Since the queen is eating potatoes, everyone ate potatoes. It then entered the French World and from France to the world. French was the leading language back between the war between France and Belgium and was therefore used by a majority.
The ‘pomme frites, first appeared in Paris, where it was cut into long slender pieces for frying. It became popular and was served on the streets by push cart vendors. It also became popular when it came to America. The name was then shortened to ‘French fries, in the 1930’s. So the next time you hear the word ‘French Fries,, be sure to remember how this ‘little bitter tuber, became the popular snack of today.
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