Are French fries the world’s favorite food? In the opinion of Blake Lingle, the answer is decidedly yes. Blake is the founder of Boise Fry Company. They sell fries. You can get a burger, too, but it’s all about the fries.
In Fries, Blake tells the story of fries, the entire story. Chapters delve into:
- The Origins of Fries
- Where Fries Grow
- Types of Fries and Accompaniments
- Making Fries
- The Culture of Fries
- The Future of Fries
That Origins chapter delves into controversy. Who invented the French fry? Surely the French, except that the first sliced and fried potatoes were in Belgium in the late 1600s. There are written references to fries from France a century later. But the first actual written recipes for fries appear in America. Someone named Thomas Jefferson scribbled one down.
Potatoes are synonymous with Idaho and Maine. You may have heard of J.R. Simplot, a man from Idaho who perfected the manufacture of fries. Those fast food fries you enjoy, at the restaurant with golden arches, they come from Simplot and his genius stainless steel machines that rip raw potatoes into those perfect slivers.
Types of Fries discusses all the shapes from around the world: regular rectangles, and then steak, shoestring, curly, waffle, wedges, and even chips. Can you eat your fry by itself? Most of us cannot. So, we use sauces that range in color, heat and spice. Ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar, gravy, mustard, ranch and even the sophisticated hollandaise are beloved by fry advocates. Some of us stick to only one at a time, while others can indulge two or three on the same plate. Blake describes them all.
Making Fries really does present a classic basic recipe. There is much more, a description of a variety of techniques for getting just the texture and surface you enjoy.
Fries are eaten, and loved, around the world. The actual name and cultural variations are enormous. Fries appear in movies, in pop music, in art, in literature. Charles Dickens wrote about them and how could he not in that land of fish and chips.
Finally, the Future of Fries. More than potatoes, veggies and fruits and even proteins can be fried and enjoyed just like their potato parent. There are now s’more fries, and donut fries and even pancake fries.
Fries takes you on a journey through a land that is central to our cuisine, but a land many take for granted. Me, I really do savor them, tasting that first bite to see if it has just the right texture — a little chewy and a bit thicker than the golden arches types. And for me, never ketchup. Just some basic mustard and, yes, a little more salt.