Frietjes

Coming from the nation that is renown for fish and chip shops I had no idea that Belgian Frietjes were quite famous for their quality and preparation.  In the UK you can get a considerable range and quality of chips from place to place, some are quite honestly, awful, greasy, floppy things.  In Belgium it does not really matter where you go, the Frituur or Chippy, will serve pretty much the same style and thickness of crunchy fries.  I must point out that they will have a slightly different taste depending upon where you go and I have no doubt there are some Frituurs out there who stray from the standards expected.  In the main the standard is high and consistent across the board.

The Frituur cooks very much to order, they do not have things pre-cooked and awaiting the customer.  It is always fresh and you always have to wait, regardless of how simple your order is, for example a small fries.  The penalty of waiting is more than made up by the quality you get.  In a British Chippy, you will get a variation of freshly fried produce depending upon when you happen to wander in and the tempo of earlier customers, this means that you can end up with some rather stale chips and dry fish.  There is as much a range of extras in a Frituur as you will find in a Chippy but there will not be pies and they do not have either vinegar or baps, more of that later.

The Frituur is always busy and if you are considering a portion of fries then be aware that a small fries is in fact a mammoth portion that you will have difficulty eating.  It almost doesn't matter what size you order at times.  You will be asked if you want mayonnaise or something similar, there are a range of other sauces.  The mayo can be splurged on top of your fries or apart in a plastic tub.

When I first met An she introduced me to Belgian fries and in turn I introduced her and her dad to a great British tradition, the chip butty.  We were sat round the table having just been to get the fries and I innocently asked for some bread and butter.  At first they thought, okay a bit strange but there you go.  The faces then looked rather serious as I started to put together my chip butty, what on earth was this?  It was as though I had taken two fries and shoved them up my nose.  What a weirdo, why have them in bread?  Well I have to say that I have not managed to convert anyone to chip butties but by God Belgian fries make good ones.  The only drawback, as mentioned in the Pies blog, is the bread, if pre-sliced it is quite inadequate for the task.  This is where you need to plan ahead and rugby tackle the girl in the bakers before she slices your bread.