French fries. Pommes frites. Papas fritas. Chips. Whatever you call these golden wands of wonder, they’ve slipped into almost every cuisine for the simplest of reasons: they arrive hot, shatter at the edges, yield in the middle, and make everything they touch taste a little more joyful. They’re affordable, scalable and endlessly adaptable – a blank canvas for salt, spice and sauce, from wasabi dust in Tokyo to curry ketchup in Berlin. Name a table that wouldn’t be happier with a bowl in the middle.
For all their ubiquity, great chips are a craft. It starts with the right potato, high in dry matter for proper crisping. Cut into steady batons – thick for a steak-house chew, skinny for extra snap – then blanched gently until the starch relaxes and the centres turn creamy. After a rest, a second, hotter fry that locks in the glassy crust while keeping the interior soft and steamy. Fresh oil, controlled temperature, and the confidence to drain and season immediately are non-negotiables. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not at all.
The story of chips wanders across borders. Potatoes themselves are New World – Andean stalwarts ferried to Europe in the 16th century – and their early European reputation was rocky until champions like Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a French pharmacist and agronomist, helped move them from hog feed to national staple. As for the fry, Belgium and France both put up spirited claims.
There are tales of Meuse-valley villagers swapping river fish for sliced potatoes when the water froze, and Parisian hawkers selling hot fried potatoes from the Pont-Neuf on the eve of the French Revolution. By the 1800s you find “potatoes served in the French manner” on refined tables, and by the early 1900s, recipes for Pommes de Terre Pont-Neuf and frites settle in America. French fries rose to fame in America after returning World War I soldiers brought home a taste for the Belgian-style frites they’d discovered abroad. Their affordability, speed, and irresistible flavour soon made them a fixture of the burgeoning fast-food scene, from White Castle’s hamburgers to McDonald’s golden arches. Whatever the precise birthplace, the technique that defines the modern chip – that crucial double fry – is now the shared language of deliciousness.
At Belthazar, chips are not an afterthought or a garnish – they are a promise. We cut for texture, blanch for tenderness, and finish for crackle. Order them alongside a steak or go classic with fish and chips. Ask for a side of Béarnaise when you’re feeling indulgent, or our Madagascar green pepper sauce if you prefer a creamy snap of heat. We like to think each batch earns its place at the table, not because chips need dressing up, but because they deserve care. So here’s to the world’s favourite side; born from a New World tuber, perfected by Old World know-how. When you’re ready for chips that honour the craft and elevate every meal, join us at Belthazar. We’ll have the oil at the right heat and the salt within reach.
15 January 2026
