Mayo Was Actually The First Ever Dip For Fries
French fries are either French or Belgian — both countries claim to be the home of the fry. Belgian villagers fried potatoes instead of fish when the River Meuse froze over, and Parisian street vendors were selling them in the 1780s. American soldiers called the potatoes French fries when they discovered them during World War I, even though they were in French-speaking Belgium. These deep-fried, starchy sticks are loved all over the world, and globalization has made a wide variety of sauces and condiments available in which to dunk your crispy carbs.
There are countless dipping options, from those who will die on ketchup hill to others who love dipping their Wendy's fries into Frosties. Some dips might earn you some side-eye from friends, and others have legions of fans. There's one dip, though, that Belgium prefers for serving its fries.
Mayonnaise is actually the traditional French fry dipping sauce. If you venture to Belgium or France and order fries from a street vendor, you'll likely find that a dollop of mayo accompanies most orders. It's the traditional topping for fries and it's still a ubiquitous topping today. European fries are usually double-fried so they're nice and crispy, unlike the sometimes-limp, overly-salty fries we're used to in the U.S. Due to the mild flavor and creamy texture of mayonnaise, it's a perfect foil to a salty, crispy French fry. Ketchup, on the other hand, can overpower a delicate, crispy fry with its cloying sweetness and bright acidity.
If plain mayo isn't your thing, there's a world of mayo-based dipping sauces to try
When you dig deeper into different cultures and countries, you find a veritable cornucopia of mayonnaise-based sauces used as a French fry dip. Belgian fry purveyors often have at least a dozen sauces on hand, but more likely nearly two dozen sauces to choose from. Some of them are familiar, but others are a wild mix of head-scratching ingredients.
Wander around the Netherlands and you'll come across patatje oorlog, a fry dish with a dollop of mayonnaise alongside peanut satay sauce. There's aioli, a creamy, garlicky sauce, that complements Spain's patatas bravas. In Germany, fritten sauce is a preferred mustardy French fry dip, and a tangy remoulade made with spices and pickles is popular in parts of Scandinavia and Northern Europe. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, there's the Belgian Brasil sauce, a mayo-based sauce with pineapple and curry.
Popular in Utah and on the West Coast, fry sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, garlic powder, and other spices. And you might not even have to look further than your refrigerator — Thousand Island dressing can provide a sweet, satisfying bite to accompany salty, crunchy fries.