Walking out the door in this humid weather makes you sweat? Although we are unsure if French fries are a recommended electrolyte replacement by sports nutritionists, given National French Fry Day happens in the middle of July, we figure why not?
For those who love tater tots nationwide, a number of fast-food restaurants, including McDonald’s and Wendy’s, are providing freebies or discounts on this National French Fry Day.Furthermore, this made-up culinary festival is so unique that you can enjoy it for two days or longer. Marlo Anderson, the creator of National Day Calendar, concurred. At the time, he declared, “I, in good conscience, cannot ignore the cry of the people, who simply want to ‘fry-ght’ a wrong that has existed for far too long. “National Fry Day, you are a Friday and always will be”.
Not all sellers of French fries have accepted the change. On July 13, some restaurants, like McDonald’s and Smashburger, will have specials. Additionally, several restaurants, like Checkers, Rally’s, Fatburger, and Wendy’s, offer giveaways past Friday. Whether French fries are indeed French is up for discussion. According to Belgian culinary historian Pierre Leqluercq, according to the History Collective, French fries may have been first mentioned in France in a book published in Paris in 1775 and in a recipe book published in France in 1795.
However, Belgium has been urging UNESCO to recognise its fries as having historic significance. The villagers who ate fried potatoes when they were unable to fish due to the river freezing over are the source of the Belgian assertion. According to National Geographic, the reason why American soldiers in World War I referred to the food as “French” fries is because French is the language of choice in southern Belgium. Leclercq doubts the veracity of the Belgian origin legend because potatoes were not brought to the area until 1735, according to the BBC. He added that even then, using cooking grease was a luxury that wasn’t likely to be utilised to cook potatoes.
According to National Geographic, potatoes became widely consumed in 18th-century France, and Thomas Jefferson, who served as the United States’ ambassador to France from 1784 to 1789, is credited with popularising French fries in the United States. However, according to the BBC, many people attribute the creation of the French fry to the deep-fried potatoes that were sold by pushcart merchants on the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris.