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Ep406: French Fries are not from France? · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts your day, Fun and
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  laughter come your way. Sports and Trinia games galore.
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  Hey kids, Kick Ass Daily is here with another packed episode.
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  Get ready for science, sports, cool history, and facts so
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  surprising you won't believe they're real.
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  Today we're exploring a favorite snack with a puzzling name.
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  You've seen them at burger places, ball games, and school
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  lunches. They are golden, salty, crunchy
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  on the outside and soft inside. We're talking about French
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  fries, but here's the big question.
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  Are French fries really from France?
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  So let's get on with today's episode.
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  Let's start with what a French fry actually is.
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  A French fry is a strip of potato that is cooked in hot oil
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  until it turns golden and crisp. Potatoes grow underground as
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  tubers. People wash them, peel them or
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  leave the skin on, cut them into even sticks, and cook them until
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  they taste just right. Many people like them with a
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  pinch of salt, some add ketchup, others prefer mayonnaise, and
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  some enjoy them plain. They show up next to burgers,
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  chicken sandwiches, and even in a paper cone you can hold while
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  walking around a city. Now about the name.
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  Even though they are called French fries, many food
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  historians say the first fries likely came from the region we
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  know today as Belgium. Belgium is a small country next
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  to France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and people
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  there speak different languages, including French, Dutch and
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  German. Long ago, people in that area
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  cooked small fried fish. When fish were not available in
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  winter, they sliced potatoes into strips and fried those
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  instead. Over time, the fried potato
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  sticks became a favorite street food vendors served them in
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  paper cones with different sauces, and families cooked them
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  at home. So why do we call them French
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  fries? One idea connects to the word to
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  French, which in old cooking terms can mean to cut food into
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  thin strips. When you cut a potato into long,
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  even sticks, you are Frenching the potato.
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  Another idea says that English speakers noticed people speaking
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  French in parts of Belgium where fries were popular, and they
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  brought the name back home. There is also the simple fact
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  that France has a strong cooking tradition and dishes with French
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  names sounded fancy to English speakers.
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  No matter the exact path. The name French fries caught on
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  in the United States and stuck. Did you know many European menus
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  simply call them frites, which is short for poems Frites,
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  meaning fried potatoes in French.
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  In the United Kingdom, people often call them chips, and in
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  Spanish you might see Papa's fritas.
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  In Germany you'll see poems or poems frites.
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  Around the world it is the same basic idea.
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  Cut potatoes fried until crisp and tasty.
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  Let's talk about how they are made to get that special
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  texture. Restaurants that focus on fries
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  often use a 2 step cooking method.
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  First they cook the potato sticks at a lower heat to soften
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  them on the inside. Then they let the fries rest and
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  cool a bit. After that, they fry them again
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  at a higher heat to make the outside golden and crunchy.
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  This double cook technique helps keep the inside fluffy and the
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  outside crisp. At home, people sometimes bake
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  fries in an oven or use an air fryer, which uses hot air to
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  crisp the potatoes with much less oil.
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  Sauces and seasonings make fries even more interesting.
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  Ketchup is common in the United States.
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  In Belgium and the Netherlands, people often dip fries in
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  mayonnaise or a garlicky sauce called aioli.
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  Some people like a sprinkle of black pepper, paprika or garlic
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  powder. In parts of the United Kingdom,
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  malt vinegar is a favorite drizzle on hot fries.
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  In some places, you can even order fries topped with chili,
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  cheese sauce or herbs. Time for a quick trivia question
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  that adds a new twist. Which Belgian city has a museum
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  dedicated just to fries, where visitors can learn about potato
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  history and taste samples? The answer is Bruges.
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  It has the Fried Museum, a museum all about fries, their
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  origins and how they are made. It is a real place you can
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  visit, and it shows how important fries are to local
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  culture. The potato itself has a long
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  journey. Potatoes originally grew in the
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  Andes Mountains of South America.
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  Farmers there raised many varieties in different colors
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  and sizes. In the 1500s, ships carried
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  potatoes to Europe. Over the next centuries,
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  potatoes became a common food across many countries because
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  they grow well and can be stored for a while and cool dark
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  places. Did you know that a raw potato
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  is mostly water by weight, often around 75 to 80%?
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  That is one reason why fries sizzle when they hit hot oil.
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  Let's add a yes or no question that brings in something new.
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  Are waffle cut fries created with a special slicing tool
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  called a mandolin that can be set to a crisscross pattern?
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  Yes, a mandolin with a ridged blade and a quarter turn between
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  slices makes the holes that create the waffle shape.
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  It is a sharp tool, so trained adults use it carefully, often
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  with a hand guard for safety. Let's now talk about something
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  important when talking fries. Nutrition.
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  Potatoes contain vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C
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  and potassium. They also have fiber, especially
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  if you leave the skin on. However, fries are not
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  considered a healthy food because frying adds extra fat,
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  calories and often a lot of salt.
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  Eating fries often is not good for people of any age.
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  That is why many families enjoy fries only once in a while and
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  sometimes bake potatoes at home. For a lighter option, Drinking
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  water and adding fruits or vegetables to the meal can help
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  make it more balanced. How did fries become so popular
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  in the United States and other countries?
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  Travelers tasted them in Europe and brought the idea home.
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  Street vendors, diners and fast food places started serving them
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  because they are tasty, quick to cook and easy to eat with your
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  hands. Did you know some restaurants
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  Blanche Rock cut fries in hot water or steam before frying?
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  This step partly cooks the potato and can help create a
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  more even texture. Here is another trivia.
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  Here a question with new information.
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  In Canada, what famous dish covers fries with cheese curds
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  and hot gravy? Making the cheese soften and the
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  sauce soaking it is called protein.
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  It started in Quebec and is now served in many places.
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  The fresh cheese curds give little squeaks when you bite
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  them, and the warm gravy brings everything together.
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  Here is a yes or no question that brings in a new angle.
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  Do some restaurants cook fries in peanut oil, which means
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  people with peanut allergies need to check before ordering?
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  Yes, many kitchens post their cooking oils and it is smart to
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  ask so everyone can enjoy their meal safely.
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  Storage and preparation also matter.
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  Potatoes are best kept in a cool, dark spot with good air
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  flow, not in the refrigerator. Very cold temperatures can
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  change the starch in the potato and affect flavor and color when
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  cooking. If a potato has sprouted or
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  turned green, adults usually cut away the green parts or choose a
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  different potato. Washing and drying the potatoes
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  before slicing helps them cook more evenly.
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  One more yes or no question with fresh information.
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  Do some companies make fries from sweet potatoes which have
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  orange flesh and a naturally sweet taste?
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  Yes, sweet potato fries are common in supermarkets and
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  restaurants. They often cook a little faster
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  and can be sprinkled with a light dusting of salt or
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  cinnamon, depending on the dish. Now let's circle back to our
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  main topic. Are French fries from France?
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  The most widely shared story points to Belgium as the birth
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  place of fries with strong traditions of St. stands and
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  sauces. The name likely stuck in English
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  because of the cutting style called Frenching, the presence
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  of the French language in the region, and the influence of
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  French cooking terms. France also has a long history
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  with fried potatoes, and people there love frites too, so the
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  name does not exactly match the earliest origin, but it is the
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  name many people use today. Did you know that professional
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  fry makers often test different potato varieties?
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  Russet potatoes are popular choice in North America because
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  they are starchy and make a fluffy interior.
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  Waxy potatoes, like red or yellow types, can turn out
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  denser and may take more care to get extra crisp.
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  Before we wrap up, here is a quick kitchen science tip.
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  When hot fries come out of the oil, cooks often drain them on a
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  rack and sprinkle salt right away.
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  Salting while the surface is still hot helps the seasoning
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  stick. Serving them quickly keeps them
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  crisp because steam from the inside can soften the crust if
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  they sit too long in a closed container.
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  Time to recap what we learned today.
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  French fries are potato sticks cooked until crisp, and they are
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  loved around the world. The strongest origin story
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  points to Belgium, where fries became a popular street food
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  with many sauces. The word French in the name
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  likely connects to the cutting style and the use of the French
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  language in places where fries were enjoyed, not necessarily to
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  the country of France itself. People make fries in different
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  shapes like shoestring, steak, crinkle, curly and waffle.
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  There are many sauces and toppings and even special dishes
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  like routine in Canada. Potatoes came from South America
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  and spread around the world, and today they are prepared in many
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  ways, including baking and air frying.
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  We also learned that oil choice, storage and cooking steps affect
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  flavor and texture. Next time you see fries on a
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  menu, you will know the crunchy truth behind the name and how
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  those tasty sticks came to be a global favorite.
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  Grab your breakfast feelings fine adventure.