It is believed French fries were first served in America in 1802 by Thomas Jefferson at the White House. He called them, “Potatoes, fried in the French manner.”
In his Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery (published first in 1903), August Escoffier gives a recipe, in his characteristically vague manner, for fries, Pommes de Terre Pont-Neuf: “Cut the potatoes square at the ends and sides then cut into batons of 1 cm wide sides. Deep fry until crisp on the outside and soft in the centre. This is the basic type of fried potato.”—Auguste Escoffier, recipe #4196.
During World War I, American soldiers were stationed in France and Belgium, both French-speaking countries. Both countries claim they were the first to fry the potato.
When the thousands of soldiers returned home, they brought a taste for this crispy, fried potato with them. French fries became the most popular side dish in America.
About 60 years ago, after World War II, freezing techniques were developed that facilitated storage and distribution. This was the time that the big fast food restaurants started their business, and a massive growth of the industrial production of French fries and other frozen potato products occurred.
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