> -----Original Message----- > From: S.V. van Baardwijk-Holten [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 01:32 PM > To: Killer Bs Discussion > Subject: Re: Commentary on French-bashing > > > On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 11:33:49 -0800, Miller, Jeffrey > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > > > >> > >> 1) For "French fries": > >> > >> They're not particularly French. I think McDonald's just > calls them > >> "fries" without any additional adjective. Just call them "fries", > >> unless they're the superior "steak fries", and call those > *that*, and > >> BTW, let me know where I can get "steak fries". :) > > > > IIRC from culinary school, they're Belgian in origin > > The Belgians would be grossly insulted if they heard this. > The Belgian fry > is very different from the French fry. It is almost triple in > diameter and > made from pieces that are visibly irregular because they are > supposed to be > cut by hand from real potato. Also they aren't as dry because > of the larger > size.
How about this - historically speaking, "french fries" aren't French in origin. :D > >> 2) For "French toast": > >> > >> Someone on another mailing list told me that prior to one of the > >> World > >> Wars, it had been called "German toast". I have done no > research to > >> verify; does anyone here know? And I think my response > was, "Why don't > >> we just call it 'European toast'?" > > It is a meal know under many different names. Each country > (even each region has it's own name for this meal). *nod* The earliest I've found is late 1300's, but there's something quite similar in my copy of Apicus - I wonder if Julius ever had "Gaul Toast"? > > The earliest recipe I can find is "pain perdu" or "lost > bread" - but > > that doesn't mean its "French" by any real stretch; its kind of the > > peanut-butter & jelly of its day, appearing in most every > recipe book > > from the 1300's on. > > Wentel teefjes (rotating bitches ?! :o), you just have to be > Dutch to make > that one up), Verwend schnitje, Verwoentes Schnittchen (A > Dutch dialect and > a German version of Pampered slices) .... just to mention a few very > different ones. Mmmmm... any region variations in preperation or serving? -jeffrey "still doesn't understand why ham waffles aren't universal" miller- _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
