French fries (or Belgian fries)

Forums: French Fries, Food And Drink, Fries, Belgian Fries, French Fries History
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My name is Marie-Julie
After reading the comments regarding french fries I'd just like you all to know the following facts:

Edward De-gernier was my great-grandfather and it was he who introduced french fries to the UK.

Edward was born in Brussels Belgium on 18th May 1847. On 1st April 1869 he married Julia Stephanie Morant from Armentieres in France. They travelled from Armentieres to Scotland, where they eventually settled in Dundee.

In 1874 Edward erected a tent in Dundee's Greenmarket, which he himself called "the very first chip potatoes, peas and vinegar stall in Great Britain", where he chipped up and sold the very first of what was later to be known as "french-fries". This was because, due to his accent and the fact that his wife was French, Edward was nicknamed "Frenchie" by friends and neighbours. It was those same friends and neighbours and eventually people from near & far, who then called his chips, french fries. Smile

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Bienvenue à chez-nous électronique, de Gernier, i hope you'll stay and enjoy yourself . . .

mmmmmmmmmm . . . french fries . . .

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Welcome de Gernier....and thank you for the
history lesson....I always thought "French Fries"
was a North American term for the British
"chips".....Thanks for the enlightenment.....
by the way....salted, with lots of vinegar, s.v.p.!

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Re: French fries (or Belgian fries)

De-gernier1946 wrote:

My name is Marie-Julie
After reading the comments regarding french fries I'd just like you all to know the following facts:

Edward De-gernier was my great-grandfather and it was he who introduced french fries to the UK.

Edward was born in Brussels Belgium on 18th May 1847. On 1st April 1869 he married Julia Stephanie Morant from Armentieres in France. They travelled from Armentieres to Scotland, where they eventually settled in Dundee.

In 1874 Edward erected a tent in Dundee's Greenmarket, which he himself called "the very first chip potatoes, peas and vinegar stall in Great Britain", where he chipped up and sold the very first of what was later to be known as "french-fries". This was because, due to his accent and the fact that his wife was French, Edward was nicknamed "Frenchie" by friends and neighbours. It was those same friends and neighbours and eventually people from near & far, who then called his chips, french fries.

Aha, a connaisseur!!! Indeed, fries are a Belgian invention, from the Meuse region where originally, they weren't made of potatoes but small fish. Later, when the potatoe became more common in those regions, the fish were gradually replaced by potatoes.

The name "french frie" came from an English officer during WWI who mistook french speaking Belgian soldiers for french soldiers (our uniforms where pretty similar back then) and named the fried potoes "French Fries"...

In any case, if you want to experience true Belgian fries, here's the recipe:

As oil, use only oxfat
For fries try to find some potatoes that are big and pretty consistent after boiling.

You peal the potatoes and slice them into rectangles of 1x1 cm. Precoock them in your frying pan on a temperature of +/- 150° C until they are soft (this means pale coloured and absolutely NOT crispy). Afterwards, heat the oil up to 180° C and frie the chips until they are nice brown and crispy on the outside.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask them...

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De Guernier,

Welcome, and let me say I think your great grandfather is the greatest, I eat chips with fish or steak, with salads or just about anything else, they are brilliant.

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@De-gernier1946,

Hi, I think I am related to you. Do you know the names of Edward De Gernier's children. My grandmother was Stephanie Robertson nee De Gernier married to William Robertson.
Nice to meet you.

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@RockinMom,

My name is Euan Robertson and my grandpatents were also Stephanie Robertson and William Robertson, who's son William Robertson is my father. Nice to meet you too ;-)

1 Reply

@erobertson,

My mother is Eleanor (Robertson) Schultz. My grandmother was Leona (DeGernier) Robertson (yes of the fish & chips)....my grandfather was David chalmers Robertson of the postage stamp chalmers

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@De-gernier1946,

De-gernier1946 wrote:

My name is Marie-Julie
After reading the comments regarding french fries I'd just like you all to know the following facts:

Edward De-gernier was my great-grandfather and it was he who introduced french fries to the UK.

Edward was born in Brussels Belgium on 18th May 1847. On 1st April 1869 he married Julia Stephanie Morant from Armentieres in France. They travelled from Armentieres to Scotland, where they eventually settled in Dundee.

In 1874 Edward erected a tent in Dundee's Greenmarket, which he himself called "the very first chip potatoes, peas and vinegar stall in Great Britain", where he chipped up and sold the very first of what was later to be known as "french-fries". This was because, due to his accent and the fact that his wife was French, Edward was nicknamed "Frenchie" by friends and neighbours. It was those same friends and neighbours and eventually people from near & far, who then called his chips, french fries.

An old thread, I know, but one that up-pricked my ears and raised an eyebrow, all the same.
Let's see now......
The person who supposedly introduced chips (french fries) to Britain, the afore mentioned Edward, was born in 1847, yet when he was aged only twelve, Dickens was talking about chips in A Tale of Two Cities, as......."husky chips of potatoes, fried in reluctant drops of oil".

Interesting, no?

From link......

"The Oxford English Dictionary states Charles Dickens gave us the earliest recorded usage of ‘chips’ in 'A Tale of Two Cities', published in 1859. They're described as ‘husky chips of potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of oil........"
http://www.lovefood.com/journal/features/19831/the-history-of-chips

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Hello . . My name is Inigo Montoya . . .

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French fries (or Belgian fries)

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