Why are french fries called french fries?
French Fries are named because the technique of frenching means to slice something into long thin strips.
In 1802, Thomas Jefferson had the White House chef, a Frenchman, prepare “potatoes served in the French manner” for a dinner party. He described these as “Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small cuttings”. This is one of the earliest references to fried potato strips being referred to as “French”.
American soldiers stationed in Belgium were first introduced to French fries during World War I. The official language of the Belgian army was French, so American soldiers called the fried potatoes “French fries", but Belgian fries would have been more accurate.