They have pommes frites (pronounced “pum fritt”) in France, which are basically what Americans call “French fries.”
The American term French Fries reportedly came, it is believed, from Thomas Jefferson.
He brought a recipe for fried potato sticks back to the colonies and referred to them as “Potatoes, fried in the French manner.”
The phrase stuck and was shortened over time. Pommes frites literally means “apples fried.” Apples?
The word “potato” in French is pomme de terre, literally “apple of the earth,” but pomme de terre frites was too much of a mouthful, so the name was informally shortened with use.
Most of the world refers to French fries as “chips” or some variation of pommes frites.
In actuality, they are made a little differently in each country. The British chip is slightly larger than the American French fry and is traditionally served with deep-fried haddock, or fish and chips.
Pommes frites in Belgium are larger and fried twice in very hot oil and for just a short time.
As a result, they are not usually as greasy as the American French fry or the English chip.
In other countries, French fries are often eaten with a mayonnaise sauce instead of ketchup.
