America's love affair with french fries started in 1789 when Thomas Jefferson, fancier of French cuisine and especially of pommes frites, introduced the delicacies to his fellow citizens when he returned home after serving as American ambassador to France. Two centuries later, french fries, those thin strips of potato cut lengthwise that have been deep-fried until crisp, are internationally associated with hamburgers and fast-food meals. Their popular success benefitted from advances in food processing and the growth of the fast-food trade. They became a fetish of the McDonald's corporation: "The french fry would become almost sacrosanct for me, its preparation a ritual to be followed religiously" wrote Ray Kroc in his book Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's. Famous for their high quality, McDonald's french fries are essential to the chain's success, with more than 6.8 million pounds prepared every day in 1998. On the eve of the twenty-first century, french fries changed national identity as fast-food ventures in Japan and Southeast Asia promote them as "American fries."

French fries, cheeseburger, and a soft drink.

Further Reading:

Kroc, Ray. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's. Chicago, Contemporary Books, 1977.

Meltzer, Milton. The Amazing Potato: A Story in Which the Incas, Conquistadors, Marie Antoinette, Thomas Jefferson, Wars, Famines, Immigrants and French Fries All Play a Part. New York, Harper Collins, 1992.

Salaman, Redcliffe N. The History and Social Influence of the Potato. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985.