#FrenchFriesDay

Nobody Actually Knows Who Invented Them

The origin of the French fry is one of food history's great unsolved mysteries. France and Belgium have been arguing about it for over a century, and neither side has conclusive proof. The Belgian version claims that villagers in the Meuse Valley were frying small cuts of potato as early as the 1680s when the river froze over and they couldn't fish. The French version points to street vendors on the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris selling fried potatoes in the late 1780s.

The name "French fries" probably came from American soldiers stationed in Belgium during World War I. The local language in that part of Belgium was French, so the soldiers called the fried potatoes "French fries." Thomas Jefferson actually described something similar in the early 1800s - "potatoes, fried in the French manner" - in his personal notes, but that referred to thin rounds, not the stick shape we know today.

The Science of a Good Fry

What separates a great French fry from a soggy disappointment comes down to two things: starch content and the double-fry method. High-starch potatoes like Russet Burbanks produce the best results because the starch granules swell during cooking and create that fluffy interior. Waxy potatoes like Yukon Golds hold their shape but don't get as crispy.

The double-fry technique is what makes restaurant fries taste better than most homemade attempts. The first fry happens at a lower temperature - around 325°F - which cooks the potato through and begins forming a crust. The fries rest, then go back in at 375°F for the second round. This creates the crispy exterior and tender inside that defines a perfect fry. McDonald's figured this out early and built their entire reputation around it. Their fries are actually blanched, partially fried, frozen, shipped, and then fried again at the restaurant.

America's Favorite Side Dish by the Numbers

Americans eat approximately 4.5 billion pounds of French fries every year. That's about 29 pounds per person annually - roughly the weight of a toddler in fries. About 25% of all potatoes grown in the United States end up as frozen French fries, and the frozen fry industry alone is worth over $7 billion.

McDonald's is the single largest buyer of potatoes in the United States, purchasing over 3 billion pounds per year just for fries. The company serves about 9 million pounds of fries globally every single day. In 2023, french fries were the most-ordered food item on DoorDash, beating out chicken tenders and pizza. Curly fries specifically saw a 34% increase in orders during that same year.

The Great French Fry Styles

The standard shoestring fry is just the beginning. Steak fries are thick-cut and often baked rather than fried. Crinkle-cut fries get their wavy shape from a specialized cutter, and those ridges hold more salt and sauce. Waffle fries - made famous by Chick-fil-A - are cut on a mandoline with alternating 90-degree turns. Curly fries get their spiral shape from a mechanical corer and are usually seasoned with a paprika-heavy spice blend.

Belgian frites are thicker than American fries and traditionally served in a paper cone with mayonnaise - not ketchup. Poutine, Canada's contribution, drowns the fries in gravy and cheese curds. Loaded fries have become their own category, with toppings ranging from chili and cheese to pulled pork and kimchi. Japan's McDonald's regularly offers limited-edition flavors like chocolate sauce fries and shaka-shaka seasoning packets that customers shake onto their order in a bag.

How to Use #FrenchFriesDay on Social Media

National French Fry Day lands on July 13th, and it's one of the highest-engagement food holidays on social media. The hashtag #FrenchFriesDay tends to outperform #NationalFrenchFriesDay in raw usage, but using both gives you wider reach. Instagram and TikTok are the strongest platforms - close-up shots of crispy golden fries perform extremely well.

Restaurants should post their fry specials the morning of July 13th and again around 4 PM when people start thinking about dinner. User-generated content does well here too - ask followers to share their favorite fry spot. Food accounts can run polls (shoestring vs. steak, ketchup vs. mayo, curly vs. waffle) for easy engagement.

Pair with nearby summer hashtags for better visibility: #NationalPinaColadaDay was three days earlier, #GiveSomethingAwayDay follows on July 15th, and #NationalMoonDay comes up on July 20th. Food bloggers doing a summer content series can plan around these clusters.

Related Hashtags

More food and summer hashtags to explore: #NationalPinaColadaDay (July 10), #GiveSomethingAwayDay (July 15), #NationalMoonDay (July 20), and #NationalCousinsDay (July 24).