French fries aren’t called “french fries” in France. They’re known there as poninws frites, “fried potatoes.” And the potato itself is known as the ponone de terre, or “earth apple”.
The French term for french fries is more accurate than ours because french fries weren’t invented in France. They were first made in Florence, Italy. They were called “french” because of the French practice of cutting vegetables into thin strips.
The pastry known as the Napoleon is another “French” invention that isn’t really French. The name of the pastry has nothing to do with Napoleon, but comes from the word Napolitain, which refers to the Italian city of Naples.
