What Makes Belgian Fries Different From Classic French Fries?

Walk along any street in Belgium and you're bound to find small street-side stalls known as frietkot, selling hot fries in tiny cones with a dollop of sauce on top. This could be plain mayonnaise (though Belgian mayo has a notably richer flavor), or tartar, cocktail, or andalouse sauce. You might also find Belgian fries at sit-down restaurants, traditionally served alongside mussels in a dish called moules frites. But is the way that these fries are served the only thing that makes them different from the classic french fry? Turns out, there's more!

Regular french fries – those glorious salty potato sticks that are a staple at fast food joints across the globe — are typically made from fluffy Russet potatoes. On the flip side, Belgian fries are traditionally made from Bintje potatoes — a historically popular variety in Belgium, especially during World War I and II. Many Belgians insist that no other spud is as tasty and suitable for fries.

Another important factor is that Belgian fries are always fried twice, typically in beef tallow as opposed to vegetable oil. The first fry happens at a low temperature (about 266 to 320 degrees Fahrenheit), the potatoes are cooled down, and then re-fried at a higher temperature (usually around 350 degrees Fahrenheit). This gives the fries a pillowy-soft interior with a crisp exterior. Moreover, the use of beef tallow infuses Belgian fries with a deeper and more savory flavor. Belgian-style fries are also often thicker-cut than skinnier, McDonalds-type fries, though this depends on who's making them.

Given the name, you might presume that the origin of french fries can be traced to France. In actuality, the birthplace of the fries is a widely-contested matter. Some historians insist that fries are descendants of a French dish called pomme Pont-Neuf, which was sold on the famous Parisian bridge of the same name in the 1780s. These fried potato slices turned into modern-day french fries in the 1840s. They were then introduced to Brussels by traveling musician Jean Frédéric Krieger, who began selling them in the Belgian capital as "Paris-style fried potatoes." And so Belgian fries were born — descendants of the original french fries.

However, some theories claim otherwise: They posit that fries were invented in the Belgian town of Namur in the 17th century. According to lore, fried fish caught from the neighboring River Meuse was an important source of sustenance for town residents. After a particularly savage winter left the river frozen, locals turned toward potatoes instead. These were cut up and fried to resemble fish, which led to the invention of fries. 

If this is supposedly true, what's with the name of the dish? Another legend claims that fries were mislabelled as French by American soldiers stationed in Belgium during World War I. Misguided by the French language spoken in the country, they unwittingly named the deep-fried potato sticks french fries!