Fries vs. Chips

Since the name of the blog is Fries or Chips, it makes sense to start out comparing Fries vs. Chips. Everyone knows that what we call french fries in the US are called chips in the UK. But which term is more accurate?

First of all, we know that fries are not French. They originated in Belgium. So where did the French part come from? It most likely comes from an old term for the way the fries are cut, where thin strips or julienne vegetables were termed as "frenched" vegetables. So they are potatoes that are "frenched" and then fried.

Now let's examine chips. In the dictionary, I can find a definition for chip as:

1. A small broken or cut off piece, as of wood, stone, or glass.
2. A crack or flaw caused by the removal of a small piece.
3. 1. A thin, usually fried slice of food, especially a potato chip. Often used in the plural.
   2. A very small piece of food or candy. Often used in the plural: chocolate chips.
   3. chips Chiefly British. French fries.

So by the usual definition of a "chip", the American usage of potato chip as being a small crispy slice of potato is much closer to the original dictionary usage of the word chip. In fact, in the UK, some fried potatoes are called chips and some are called fries. The potatoes termed as "chips" are usually thicker and bigger than the ones labelled "fries". So they don't even fit the definition of being a small piece of something.

Based on that, I'd have to give the win to America on this one, in spite of the use of the inaccurate/archaic modifier of French. There is simply nothing chip-like about a rectangular slab of fried potato, but they are clearly fried, so the term "fries" is much more accurate as a description of a fried potato served with a burger or a piece of fish.