Posted on 09/30/2025 8:00:23 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A Dutchman has won the award for the most authentic French fries. Photo Credit: Joyce Panda via Unsplash
IN a delicious upset, for the first time, a non-French person has won the top prize for the world’s most authentic French fries, at the third edition of the annual International Chip Competition, held in Arras, France on Saturday, September 27. Dutch chef Siem van Bruggen took home the gold for the most flavourful fries, beating out 32 other contestants from multiple countries and competing across five harshly-judged categories: authenticity, creativity, family, chip sauce, and global fries.
Van Bruggen is a renowned chef with shops in Utrecht and Leiden. He consistently impressed the scrutinous judges with his technique, which involved first boiling organic potatoes in water with rosemary before double-frying them in vegetable oil.
In addition to Van Bruggen, four French chefs and one Belgian chef took home the gold in the other categories. Though the French were the main protagonists of their at-home competition, Van Bruggen was the true dark horse candidate of the affair, and he couldn’t have been more pleased. “I’m very happy with this prize,” said Van Bruggen, speaking with French newspaper Franceinfo. “Chips are important where I come from.”
Indeed, fries are considered a Dutch staple and are one of the foods that the country is best known for. With a combination of the aforementioned double frying method to create an extra-crunchy exterior and a soft interior, using high-quality potatoes, and a very strong “snack” culture in the country, especially among working classes, fries have quickly become one of the Netherlands’ most iconic foods. The culinary tradition is also heavily influenced by Belgium, which also has a deep-rooted French fry culture.
The birthplace of the French fry Arras, France is considered the “Unrivalled Capital of Chips.” The town, and in particular a botanist who lived there, Charles de l’Écluse, was one of the first to popularise potatoes in the year 1526. Until then, the potato, originating in the South American country of Peru, had not been so beloved.
MSG?
Hehe...but there are differences between salt and sea salt .
Amsterdam is positively filled with good ethnic restaurants of all kinds.
A guy from France told me they don’t call the pomme frites, fried potatoes, but simply frites. (Fries).
Duck fat is the best! During thanmsgiving we like to roast a duck, and we plop in small potatoes in bottom of pan to soak up the duck fat. Holy moley! Talk about delicious!
Ill ask,lot’s wife if that is true
Best I’ve had were in Frieburg and Antwerp and London
The Europeans really get into it
Not hard
Not soggy
Fresh grease
Prime potatoes
Rosemary is common sprinkle with salt
Various confinements
I prefer the mayo mustard blends
Or thick euro ketchup
Served in a paper cone usually
They change grease often
The vendor is right in front of the Freiburg beautiful cathedral
Third is a green plywood fish and chip stand in Whitehall Park right on the Thames near tattershall barge pub
America
I like Culver’s or McDonald’s when hot
Good technique
Amen duck fat
You’d be surprised
https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-potatoes-in-the-world
I like ketchup too but they do a good job
I was in Amsterdam recently. The Dutch have a good business model with Pomms frites! There is a shop next to every “coffee shop”. Munchies make money!
Intriguing. What is a "snack" culture?
Of course French is the type of cut.
Nothing to do with France.
I use a peeler to remove the skin; leaving thin strips of peel to add to the taste. After cutting into fries, I put them into the Presto 10 quart kettle fryer with its drain basket in place. I pour in peanut oil until it covers the fries by 1/2 inch. Then I plug in the fryer and set the temperature control to 350 degrees.
The oil will reach 350 degrees and go into a rapid boil until the potatoes turn a light brown. I unplug the fryer and lift the basket to drain the potatoes. I place the hot potatoes into a large bowl and add salt, shaking the bowl until salt coats all the potatoes.
The result creates a tasty crisp potatoes on the outside with a creamy interior.
Fresh made from a street vendor in a paper cone.
Malted vinegar makes it even better.
You should try the double fry method. You first fry at a lower temp until there is a touch of golden here and there. Then remove and drain - you can leave out for several hours until the final fry. Then 375 oil and drop the fries for less than a minute until they are gold and crispy.
I have made French fries at home many times. For me Five Guys are the best. I have three rules for French fries. I need good ketchup on the side to dip them into. They must arrive hot and gone over lightly with a salt shaker.
Vinegar on them like in England? Never. Some kind of mayonnaise or aioli dip? Never. And poutine is the pits with soggy French fries. I want crunch, not sog.
I prefer my sea salt to be freshly ground!
The Frisians of course.
Although Australian food is usually terribly bland, they do magical things with potatoes. The best French fries I ever had were at the opera house in Sydney. Even the fries at Hungry Jack’s, the Australian name for Burger King, were, a huge cut above what we get here.
BTW, Mamoun’s in the East Village has the best fries I have ever had in the USA.
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