Fry quibble: France and Belgium lock horns (again) over who invented ‘French’ fries

Proud Belgians have hit back after a leading French newspaper claimed that frites – the world-famous chips served with Belgium’s national dish of mussels – were invented in France. Le Figaro printed the story under the headline “No, French fries are not Belgian” last Wednesday, which was particularly provocative because August 1 is also the International Day of the Belgian Frites. Historian Pierre Leclercq insisted that modern day frites was first served on the streets of Paris to theatre-goers in the revolutionary era. Legend has it that American soldiers serving in World War One incorrectly named Belgian frites “French fries” and the name stuck. According to Bernard Lefèvre, president of Navefri-Unafri, the national association for frietkoten: “If frites would have been French, which they are not, there would be an international museum of frites in Paris, which there is not.” “As far as we’re concerned, “fries” are undeniably Belgian!,” said Andrew Daines of  Belgian tourist group VisitFlanders. Read more