Why are french onion soups and french fries french?

Answer 1

french onion soup was actually invented in france. french fries are a misnomer, they were invented in belgium. they are called french fries because they are deep fried, a process considered french in origin.

Answer 2

French onion soup...because it is one of the oldest and best recipes in France...made with vegetable broth, sautéed onions, sliced french bread and french emmenthal cheese (similar to swiss cheese). Prabably dating back to medieval times...

"French fries"...is just the american name for deep fat fried potato strips that in england are called "chips", in Germany "pomme frites" and in Belgium & France just "frites" (fries). The recipe became popular in the mid-19th. century when street vendors in France started selling them on street corners. From there the term "frenching" which is a culinary term for cutting in strips, (julienne) thus the original FRENCH FRIED POTATO...which was shortened to "french fries" around 1930...(probably in the first "fast food" restaurants in the USA!)
The fries are actually more famous in Belgium than in France...the belgians eat them with mayonnaise (some say yucky, some yummy) and platters of steamed mussels... it is almost considered the national dish!

You could go to Wikipedia for a longer explanation if you like...

Answer 3

From Wikipedia...

Origin
One proposed explanation of the origin of the North American name of the dish is that it derives from potatoes that have been "fried in the French manner". The English verb fry is ambiguous: it can refer to both to sautéing and to deep-fat frying, while the French pommes frites or patates frites ("fried potatoes") refers unambiguously to deep frying. Thomas Jefferson, famous for including (then relatively unknown in America) European, especially French, cuisine in his writings and recipes, referred to fried potatoes in this same manner. The Japanese convention is the same as that of the French, with the dish referred to as "fried potato".

A speculative theory is that the word "French" in "French fries" may refer to potatoes which are French-cut (julienned), with a later derived verb from this term, "to french," which means "to cut in thin lengthwise strips before cooking" (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Ed.). It is true that "to french" is defined as "to prepare, as a chop, by partially cutting the meat from the shank and leaving bare the bone so as to fit it for convenient handling" (Oxford English Dictionary). However, the verb "to french" did not start appearing until after "French fried potatoes" had appeared in the English-speaking world (see History).

Other accounts say that they were once called 'German fries' but the name was changed either for political reasons (Germany was the enemy of the United States and Allied forces during WWI and WWII) or for simple historical reasons (a traditional theory poses that it was in France during World War I that American soldiers first encountered the dish). This seems unlikely, as Germany was not as famous for its "French fries" as other European countries, in addition to the fact that German immigrants did not seem to bring the dish over to the United States.


As for French Onion Soup...


French onion soup
Onions, and onion soup were enjoyed by ancient Roman and Greek peoples. French onion soup (with the bread and cheese topping) is reminicent of Medieval sops. The recipe we know today is a direct descendant of modern French bouillon crafted in the 17th century. Onion soups are likewise found in early English cookbooks and American cookbooks from colonial days to present. Curiously, it is absent from Escoffier's Guide Culinaire [1903]. Onion soup enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s, when French cooking was promoted in the United States.

WHY ONIONS?
Onions were common in the Old World and were used in many recipes: boiled, baked, and fried. For many centuries they were considered food of the poorer people. Onions were also thought to have restorative powers, making them a perfect choice for soup. It is interesting to note that early peoples thought eating raw onions caused headaches.

Answer 4

Frenching is a soaking process when we talk about food.

Answer 5

hey just now i read a article about it and Brain,get the link
http://www.chennaivoice.com/self.htm
hope it will help u a lot

Answer 6

because they're both greasy and smell? Just a guess