July 13 is National French Fry day.
There's actually some debate whether Americas favorite fries actually originated in France.
In fact, our “French” fries could actually have come from Belgium.
According to www.todayifoundout.com, Belgian people may have been frying their potatoes since the 1600s.
Tell us in comments where you think the best fries are in Westminster.
When fishing became difficult, potatoes were turned to as a diet staple, where they were cut into thin, long slices and deep-fried, the website reports.
Then there is the French side of the debate. According to the website, potatoes were banned in the mid-16th century, because they were thought to have caused leprosy.
But in the mid-1600s, caution was tossed to the wind, and French people began to gobble up the popular starch.
As early as 1795, the website states the French, too, were frying up the sliced potatoes and making them into what we recognize as the modern French fry.
Curiously enough, President Thomas Jefferson may have influenced the crispy spuds being labeled as French in origin.
According to the website, in 1802, our third president requested the White House chef prepare “potatoes served in the French style,” which he described as “deep-fried, while raw, in small cuttings.”
Wherever they truly hail from, French Fries are indeed a staple in today’s society, as well as in the American diet.
In fact, so much of a staple that the tasty treats may be contributing to American's obesity problem.
The Huffington Post reports that french fries (and other potato products) seem to contribute directly to weight gain over time, according to a 2011 Harvard study. The researchers found that eating more potato products (chips, in particular) led to a gain of over one pound a year, while sugary beverages led to less than a pound gained.
The fried "chips" as they are called in Europe, come in all shapes and sizes; curly, skinny, thick steak fry-cut, crinkle-cut, restaurant style, and countless more many of us have yet to experience.
