The Sweet Fry Sauce You Can Find At McDonald's In Amsterdam
McDonald's menus outside of the U.S. can look pretty adventurous to the average American customer. From Japanese Teriyaki burgers to Venezuelan arepas to Canadian poutine, the fast food franchise has some culinary classics beyond American borders. However, Amsterdam's fry sauce may just make the rest of the world jealous.
One McDonald's customer on TikTok is on a mission to visit every McDonald's in the world. Along the way, they stopped at the golden arches in Amsterdam for a handful of entrées you won't find in the States. They ordered a spicy veggie McChicken and fried cheese snacks — two Dutch exclusives. But it wasn't just the entrées that caught their attention, it was also the creamy frite sauce they paired with a side of fries. The TikTok foodie said the yellow sauce tasted like a "lighter version of mayonnaise."
McDonald's Dutch frite sauce is formally called fritessaus. The condiment is widely sold across the Netherlands, and it's essentially a Dutch iteration of low-fat mayonnaise — typically made with up to 25% less fat than traditional mayo. Although it's similar to a dollop of Hellmann's, fritessaus is a bit sweeter than American mayonnaise.
Traditional fritessaus vs. McDonald's fritessaus
Typically served with fries, traditional fritessaus is made with some of the same ingredients as American mayo. Fritessaus calls for eggs, sunflower oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar. However, there are some unique fritessaus varieties found across the Netherlands. Some recipes call for anchovies for a salty, briny kick while others call for dill. If a fritessaus recipe uses dill, it's actually considered "American fritessaus," despite dill not being a household ingredient in American cuisine.
McDonald's fritessaus boasts a hint of dill. Some theories speculate that American fritessaus actually originated in the Dutch McDonald's restaurants and is actually called American fritessaus because the fast food chain is associated with American food culture. Of course, like most fast food, McDonald's fritessaus has some added preservatives, along with thickening agents and cornstarch.
@shawnthefoodsheep Eatibg Mcdonald's in Amsterdam #mcdonalds #amsterdam #mcdonaldshacks #foodlover
Other fry fans on social media have praised McDonald's fritessaus for its simple ingenuity. One fritessaus fanatic tweeted "Still thinking about the fritessaus I had like 3 yrs ago that the Dutch McDonald's uses. It's like a dill mayo sauce AND ITS SO GOOD. ON FRIES." Next time you're eating fries, add some fritessaus ingredients to your mayonnaise for a Dutch-inspired side dish that will you transport you to Amsterdam.