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Oh my everything is so French

Oh my everything is so French. Everywhere you go, read and do have something France attached to it. Fries, manicure, kiss. You name it. France have it all, or do they?

The start of everything French

It seems like it all started with food. The first chefs started in France. Serving Royalty. The first cooking schools. They did have some help from neighboring Spain and Italy though. French cuisine are the most well known and much loved throughout the world. While France are the top of the pops in the culinary world, did they really invent everything that are named after them?

Fact or fiction

Well let’s find out which of the things named after the French are actually true or not. For this exercise I wrote down the first 5 things. There are indeed many more. Drop me a note with some of the things that you are familiar with. Without further ado let’s get into it.

French fries (Fiction)

Here in South Africa we call it Slap tjips in Afrikaans and just chips in English although every now and then someone will ask for fries. Belgium claim fame to this particular potato dish. Folklore have it that American soldiers during WW1 gave the fries their name after the French speaking Belgium people who cooked the fries. There are however people who disputes this. France call it “frites,” or pommes frites.

French kiss (Fact)

Love and France goes hand in hand. When we think about France images of couples kissing comes to mind. Tongue kissing. During WW1 British and American soldiers were amazed at the passionate way the people from France kissed. They then introduced this passionate way of kissing to their partners when they returned home.

French tip nails (Fiction)

Jeff Pink, the founder of the nail polish brand Orly created the natural look in America after which he introduced it to the Hollywood stars. He then took the look to Paris, France where he introduced it to the models. He himself attached France to it and now it is called a French manicure around the world.

French loaf/bread (Fact)

The french bread is indeed from France where It is called a stick bread or baguette and is the most popular and well known breads in France. The westernized bread that we buy in supermarkets are not really the same thing.

French toast (Fiction)

Every country have their own version of this popular bread dish with different fillings and combinations. French toast did however not originated in France. Some people believe it originates from America where a chef called Joseph French came up with the recipe. The most reliable origin story comes from the Roman empire though where old bread were turned into a delicious meal for the poor people. In France it is called lost bread.

Conclusion

Well 3/5 things are proven to be nothing but fiction. This was a fun assignment. Did you enjoy it? Hope you learned something too. Have a wonderful week and enjoy life. Till next time.