Belgian-Style Fries
FRYZ — Called 'French fries' largely by accident — American soldiers in French-speaking Belgium during World War I assumed the dish was French.
₹140
The most-ordered single item on delivery apps in the US in 2024 — and a name that's been quietly wrong for over a century.
Belgian villagers along the Meuse River are said to have fried potato strips as a stand-in for small fish during frozen winters as far back as the 1680s. The 'French' name stuck after American soldiers, hearing French spoken in Belgium during the First World War, assumed the dish was French and never corrected themselves. Belgium never really let go of the grievance, and correctly so, given the double-fry method that actually makes them what they are.
What makes it taste like that
The first fry, at a lower temperature, cooks the potato through without coloring it. The second, hotter fry is what builds the shattering crust while the inside stays fluffy — skip either step and you get something closer to a soggy chip.
Chef's note
Rest the fries between the two fries — skip that step and the crust never sets properly.