A closer look
Belgium actually invented the French fry, and the linguistic mix-up occurred during World War I when American soldiers encountered the dish in the French-speaking Wallonia region. The locals had been frying tiny fish from the river, but when the water froze in the winter of 1680, they carved potatoes into little fish shapes and fried those instead. We have been incorrectly crediting France for centuries for a culinary masterpiece born out of Belgian desperation and frozen rivers. Now, you can visit the Frietmuseum in Bruges, an entire establishment dedicated to the history of fried potatoes, which is arguably a much better use of your vacation time than standing in a three-hour line just to see the Mona Lisa from fifty feet away
