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.
Related Posts
-
How Did French Fries Get Their Name and What Are French Fries Called In France?
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…
-
Who Invented French Fries, How Did it Get its Name, and Where Did They Come From?
The Belgians are crazy about french fries. As a matter of fact, fries are their national dish, and they've been eating them with buckets of mussels since the mid-1800s. The French also claim…
-
What Does the Word “Clock” Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?
Like cloche in French, the word clock literally means bell. When the large mechanical clock was invented in the fourteenth century it didn't tell time with a face and hands, but rather by…
-
Where does the expression “to take French leave” come from and What does it mean?
We use the expression "to take French leave" now to mean to take one's departure secretly or without authorized permission; thus, a soldier may be said to take French leave if he surreptitiously…
-
Where does the word “manure” come from and What does manure mean in French?
The word "manure" was originally a verb, its origin the Old French verb manouvrer. Thus, in the fourteenth century, it meant "to work by hand; especially, to work the soil by hand; to…
-
Where does the word “Taffeta” come from and What does Taffeta mean in French?
Although the name Taffeta has been applied and misapplied to many different fabrics during the span of the nearly six centuries during which it has been in the language, its original sense, "a…
