Exploring cultures while gardening and cooking with kids: French fries

Dixie Sandborn<dixie@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

Almost everyone loves french fries. French fries, chips, finger chips, french-fried potatoes or simply fries are bayonet or julienne-cut deep-fried potatoes. Whatever you call them, fries are popular around the world. But are they really from France?

French fries in a basket next to a dish of ketchup.
Photo credit: Freepix

If you like to eat, you are engaging with cultures from around the world. What do we know about the foods we grow and eat? Where did they come from? Have you ever thought about a food's history or how food traveled around the world to your garden or dinner plate? Explore more in this Michigan State University Extension series about cultures in gardening and cooking!

Gardening is a great way to introduce kids to a variety of fruits and vegetables. Exploring the origins of the foods we love, and where the ingredients grow, is a fun way to incorporate the exploration of world cultures into your garden. Kids can research new recipes or create their own recipes, learning new ways to prepare their harvest into tasty dishes. Eating new foods is a great way to learn to appreciate people from all backgrounds, from across town to across the world.

Potatoes are a garden food that can be easily made into a fan favorite: french fries. Almost everyone loves french fries. French fries, chips, finger chips, french-fried potatoes or simply fries are bayonet or julienne-cut deep-fried potatoes. Whatever you call them, fries are popular around the world. But are they really from France?

Let’s take a closer look at french fries:

  • There is some debate on whether french fries originated in France or Belgium. Do your research and you decide.
  • Thomas Jefferson served them at the White House. He stated that he wanted “potatoes served in the French way.”
  • Potatoes originated from Peru. There are over 5,000 varieties of potatoes in Peru.
  • In the late 1800s, many people from Ireland immigrated to the U.S. because of the Irish potato famine. Ask kids if they know their ancestry. If they have Irish blood, it may result from their ancestors moving here during the Irish potato famine.

There are so many interesting facts about french fries and potatoes, making them a fun and tasty topic to learn about. Here are some activity ideas for youth:

  • Have kids look up and share interesting facts about french fries and potatoes.
  • Have kids go to the grocery store and take pictures of the different kinds of potatoes.
  • Have kids taste different varieties of potatoes and vote on their favorite variety.
  • Research how fries are served around the world.
  • Have kids compile a list of all the names they can find for fries around the world. Write the names on sticky notes and stick them on the corresponding country on a world map.

Learning about french fries is fun, but it is more fun to eat them. Here is a kid-friendly recipe, adapted from Weelicoius, to try.

Oven-baked fries

Ingredients:

  • Russet potatoes cut into ½ inch sticks. You can leave the potato skins on or peel them.
  • 2   tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 1   teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Place raw cut “fries” (potato sticks) into a colander and rinse under cold water (to remove the starchy exterior of the potato).
  3. Pat “fries” dry with a towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
  4. Place “fries” onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle with the oil and salt and toss to coat.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, then toss and bake for an additional 10 minutes (for a total of 30 minutes).

If you want to grow your own potatoes, Michigan State University Extension has a great guide to growing potatoes in your home garden.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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