Interesting factoid that Sacha clued us into to: French fries are not french at all! Some Belgians believe that the term “French” was introduced when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I. They tried Belgian fries and called them “French” because that was the language the Belgian soldiers were speaking at that time (French was the official language of the Belgian Army.) “French” fries became popular very quickly. South of the Netherlands, bordering Belgium, they were, and still are, called Vlaamse Frieten or Flemish fries.