Have you ever heard someone talking about their brand new French tips, seen someone braiding a French braid, or eaten a French fry and wondered if they were really from France? This is an interesting question, and in this article, we will tell you about these three supposedly “French” things.
French Fries
This delicious fried side has always been known as French fries, but are they really from France? The answer is no. Rumor has it that these appetizing potato snacks are actually from Namur in Belgium and were just a replacement for their favorite meal, fried fish! In 1680, the river that they used to fish in froze over, and they created the first French fry as a substitution with potatoes. Don’t ask us why they named this snack supposedly created in Belgium after France because we don’t know. But we do know the French didn’t create it.
French Tips
Have you ever seen someone walking around with their new French tips? You know, the manicure where only the ends of your nails are painted? Well, it turns out that this iconic French manicure isn't actually French either! This style originated in 1975 in Hollywood, when everyone was complaining about how long it took to change the nail colors in between sets. The solution was a simple, versatile nail color that significantly reduced the time it took to do everyone’s nails. The American nail trend still lives after 45 years!!
French Braids
This hairstyle had been very popular, with 5-year-olds to 50-year-olds sporting it out and about!! But what if it wasn’t actually French?? It turns out that this type of braid goes back to the Tassili n'Ajjer mountain range in Algeria, where there are statues of women wearing this hairstyle 6,000 years ago. But also around this time, the Sung Dynasty in China is believed to have upper-class women wearing this hairstyle, and the Greeks were also thought to have been wrapping their hair in a similar “French” fashion and piling it on top of their heads to create a crown shape. So did the Algerians really create this iconic style, or was it someone else? We aren’t sure, but we know it DEFINITELY wasn’t the French.
Works Cited:
Monaco, Emily. “Can Belgium claim ownership of the French fry?” BBC, 31 July 2018, https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180730-can-belgium-claim-ownership-of-the-french-fry. Accessed 17 February 2023.
Okrent, Arika. “12 Things Called 'French' In English and Whether They're Actually French.” Mental Floss, 14 July 2017, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502724/12-things-called-%E2%80%98french%E2%80%99-english-and-whether-theyre-actually-french. Accessed 17 February 2023.