List of accompaniments to french fries

Chili cheese fries

French fries are almost always salted just after cooking. They are then served with a variety of condiments, notably ketchup, curry, curry ketchup (mildly hot mix of the former), hot or chili sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, honey mustard, bearnaise sauce, tartar sauce, tzatziki, feta cheese, garlic sauce, fry sauce, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, gravy, brown sauce, vinegar (especially malt vinegar), lemon, piccalilli, pickled cucumber, gherkins, very small pickled onions, fresh cheese curds (especially Canada), or honey.

Australia

Chips are often eaten with tomato sauce (also known as ketchup), barbecue sauce or gravy. Most shops also offer a choice of table salt or chicken salt to be sprinkled on the chips. In many places in Australia, chicken salt has now become the default accompaniment to chips unless a preference for normal salt is expressed. When served at a chip shop, where a thicker cut of chip is traditionally provided, vinegar is sometimes offered as a traditional accompaniment, although this is becoming less common. It is also common practice to liberally sprinkle fresh lemon from a wedge served with fish, over the chips. Traditionally, and to this day, chips from a fish and chip (take-away) shop will be wrapped in sheets of paper for the customer. It is now more common for fish and chips to be served in an open-topped cardboard container, which is then placed inside a white paper bag. Potato wedges are also popular which consist of a quartered, often with the skin left on, seasoned fried potato. Potato wedges are commonly eaten with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream, which are served alongside the wedges each in a separate small dish. It is also becoming increasingly popular to serve aioli with thin cut chips, especially in a pub or bar.

Belgium

French fries wrapped in a traditional paper cone, served with mayonnaise and curry ketchup, with a small plastic fork on top and a frikandel on the side. The frietkot is seen in the background.

A typical assortment of meats offered at a Belgian friterie.

Even the smallest Belgian town has a frietkot (literally, "fries shack"). Traditionally, take-away fries were picked by the fingers out of a tip bag wrapped from a square sheet of paper, while walking on the streets. By the 1970s and 1980s, with several meat accompaniments gaining popularity, more practical open carton boxes and tiny plastic forks became available. One can order a small or large portion; often three or four sizes are priced. Fries with mayonnaise or one of a wide variety of other typical Belgian sauces is a fast food classic in Belgium, often eaten without any side orders. Prior to 1960, the choice of accompanying items was limited to a pickled herring, a cold large meatball boulet or red-coloured garlic sausage cervela, or a beef or horsemeat stew. Since 1960, these choices include stoofvlees or stoofkarbonade and a wide variety of deep-fried meats, such as chicken legs, beef or pork sticks, minced beef, pork, chicken, or turkey in all shapes (balls, sticks, sausages) mixed with a dosage of fat and condiments to one's preference. An example of an additional on-the-spot preparation is sometimes in Flanders called mammoet speciaal (mammoth special), a large frikandel (curryworst in Antwerp and Flemish Brabant) deep-fried and cut so as to put chopped onion in the V-shaped length and dressed with mayonnaise and (curry-)ketchup. The earliest of the current wide array of sauces, are mayonnaise, fritessaus or sauce pommes-frites ("fries sauce" in English—see the sections on France and the Netherlands) and a local pickle-sauce similar to piccalilli. Though Belgians do not sprinkle vinegar on fries, they may eat them with cold mussels out of the shells preserved in vinegar, entirely uncomparable to the national dish with freshly boiled hot mussels served in the shells.

In Belgium, French fries are considered to be an acceptable side to a formal meal, as reflected in the national dish, moules-frites, i.e. mussels with French fries.

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, a serving of fries can be ordered with a covering of sirene, a grated white brine cheese.

Canada

In Canada, French fries are the main component of a dish called poutine, a mixture of French fries with fresh cheese curds (sometimes rasped cheese), covered with a hot gravy (usually), hot chicken sauce (much less common), or chicken BBQ sauce (rarely). This dish was invented in rural Quebec in the late 1950s and is now popular in many parts of the country and is served at many fast-food chains. Several Québécois communities claim to be the birthplace of poutine. A variant, "disco fries", may be found in the Northeastern United States.

Throughout English Canada, white vinegar is a popular condiment for French fries. No other country is known to so enjoy white vinegar (as opposed to malt or other vinegars) on its fries (although it is served as an accompaniment for fish and chips in Australia). Most major Canadian fast food outlets provide white vinegar packets next to their ketchup packets in their stores, and many restaurants keep white vinegar on their tables. That is not to say that the use of malt vinegar is uncommon, particularly amongst those of English heritage. In most traditional "fish & chips" shops in Canada, malt vinegar is more prevalent. However, ketchup and vinegar remain the most popular condiments used on French fries in English Canada.

In Newfoundland, "chips, dressing and gravy" (referred to by outsiders as "Newfie fries") comprise French fries topped with "dressing" (turkey stuffing made with summer savory) and gravy. Another variation consists of topping the French fries with either ground beef, hot dogs, dressing and cheese and topped with gravy. Yet another Newfoundland recipe called a "mess" (compare with "poutine") consists of fries, gravy, dressing, and wieners.

Denmark, Sweden, and Norway

In Scandinavian cuisines, entrecôte may be served with French fries and sauces, like remoulade sauce.

In Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, fries may be served as a side dish for certain dishes at restaurants, e.g. Wiener Schnitzel, entrecôte, or different fish dishes, but the most common side dish in these countries is still boiled or mashed potatoes.

French fries are often ordered as a side dish to fast food like hamburgers, falafel, or kebab or served as a dish together with hot dogs (varmkorv). They are served with many different kinds of gravy, sauces or condiments, especially remoulade sauce, or ketchup but other accompaniments are also common.

France

In France a common dish is fries and a steak. French fries are also popular as a side dish to kebabs, roasted or fried chicken, and hamburgers. The fries are often accompanied by ketchup, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and sometimes a vaguely béarnaise-like sauce called "sauce pommes frites" (found also under the same name and with a similar form in French-speaking Belgium, and in Dutch-speaking Belgium and the Netherlands as fritessaus), which is available at local McDonald's restaurants and in bottled form in supermarkets.

Germany

In Germany, accompaniments are usually limited to ketchup and mayonnaise. The two are often offered together. Sometimes shashlik sauce is offered. Although mustard may also be available at the same fast food stand to serve with Bratwurst, it is not considered a French fry condiment. Curry ketchup is a common condiment when the French fries are served with a Currywurst. Larger currywurst outlets offer a variety of atypical sauces, such as aioli, wasabi mayonnaise, and honey mustard.

Iceland

In Iceland, french fries are served either salted or seasoned with a special blend of spices marketed as french fry mix, and accompanied by cocktail sauce or ketchup. Fries are commonly sold in fast food outlets as a side dish. The earliest mention of french fries in Iceland is in a cookbook published in 1945, under the title Potatoes boiled in lard.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, french fries are usually served with salt and/or bottled sauce, mostly chilli sauce and ketchup. They are always served with Western food dishes like hamburgers, hotdogs, and steak. Sometimes, french fries are served with powder seasoning with various flavours like cheese, barbecue, chicken, sweet corn and many more. Another variant of french fries is Tela-Tela, french fries-like fried cassava which were invented in Yogyakarta in September 2005 by several young men. Tela-Tela is usually served with powder seasoning with various flavors; some people like to mix the flavours for their Tela-Tela. Sometimes, Tela-Tela is served with chilli sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and cheese sauce. Tela-Tela is usually sold in schools due to the cheap price, which is affordable for most students. Now, Tela-Tela is a franchise business which has many branches in many cities in Indonesia.

Ireland

In Ireland, chips are commonly served with salt and vinegar. Many outlets are Italian and there is a strong tradition of Italian chippers or chippies. Many outlets also serve chips with a sauce accompaniment, the most popular being curry sauce. For meals served with chips, coleslaw is often served. Fish and chips or kebab and chips are popular take-away meals. In Dublin, a serving of chips is often referred to as a single of chips, while fish and chips is often referred to as "one-and-one". An increasingly popular choice is for the chips to be served with garlic mayo and cheese. In recent times curry chips(a portion of chips with curry sauce poured over them) have also become popular. A handful of grated cheddar cheese thrown on top of either the chips or the curry sauce, AKA Curry cheese chips, has recently spread wildly in popularity, and allegedly originated in the Midlands area of Ireland.

Japan

In Japan, french fries from McDonald's and other fast-food restaurants are served without any condiment. A few locations will have ketchup packets available if requested, while others will serve ketchup upon request in small paper cups. Despite the extreme popularity of mayonnaise in Japan, it is not used on french fries. In restaurants, very small amounts of ketchup are sometimes served with french fries. Steak fries or other types of thick fries are rare in Japan. Some Japanese restaurants, such as First Kitchen, offer a variety of flavour packets that can be used to season the french fries. The packets consist of powdered flavouring and salt.

Malaysia and Singapore

In Malaysia and Singapore, Chips or Fries are often served with Western Food dishes and usually served with Tomato Ketchup and Chilli Sauce, or sometimes "Chilli-Tomato" Sauce (if they mix Chilli Sauce with Tomato Ketchup together).

Netherlands

Fries with tartar sauce, served in a cone in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands fries are popular as fast food and served in vending points similar to the ones in Belgium. Fries are served with mayonnaise or a lower-fat version called fritessaus (fries sauce), although the latter is often also referred to as mayonnaise. This combination is usually called patat met (for "fries with"), as opposed to patat zonder (fries without, without any sauce). Other popular sauces are satésaus (satay sauce, a peanut sauce that is also served with the Indonesian meat sate), Curry Ketchup, speciaal (special; a mixture of chopped onions, fritessaus, and curry ketchup). Another interesting combination is Patatje Oorlog (Dutch for French Fries War), which is French fries with mayonnaise, sate sauce and onions, a variety that differs from region to region, and even from one snackbar to another. While it sometimes means mayonnaise (or rather, fritessaus, or fries sauce), peanut sauce and chopped raw onions, in other places it means the fries are accompanied with all condiments available. Dutch snackbars typically offer at least eight condiments or combinations of them (the condiments are never free in Dutch snackbars), but some serve up to forty different styles. A recently introduced way of serving fries is the kapsalon (hair salon, named so because Nataniël Gomes, a hairdresser from Rotterdam invented the dish), which consists of fries, shoarma (or another kebab style such as Doner), lettuce, molten cheese, hot sauce and garlic sauce in an aluminum foil tray which is then briefly baked off in an oven.

Fries are often accompanied by other popular deep-fried fast foods such as the kroket and frikandel, but fries are also served as a side dish in regular restaurants.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, hot chips are usually served salted, and tomato sauce is a popular accompaniment. At fish & chip shops, where the chips are of a thicker cut, they are usually served with fried fish fillets, and without tomato sauce, though this is frequently available at an additional cost. United States-style takeaway outlets (such as McDonald's and Burger King) usually serve thin-cut chips (KFC and Wendys are notable exceptions), salted, with tomato sauce as an option. Pie carts and hot-food outlets at fairgrounds, stadiums and other events usually serve thick-cut chips in a large paper cup, invariably with tomato sauce drizzled over the chips. Malt vinegar is a traditional but increasingly rare accompaniment at fish & chip shops and pie carts, usually available from a bottle on the counter where customers help themselves to their own tastes. In a restaurant setting, chips are increasingly served with aioli.

Philippines

In the Philippines, they are often served with a sprinkling of powdered flavors, primarily cheese, sour cream, or barbecue. In some fast food chains, these are topped with cheese sauce and minced bacon.

Poland

In Poland chips (fries) are a popular fast food. The usual elongated baton shape has always been the most popular, but other shapes like wedges or (more "traditional") potato slices are also a popular home dish. Another recipe mandated slicing the potatoes into rings, and then frying them, sometimes accompanied by onions. Fries are served with ketchup, mustard, or garlic sauce. it is also served with cheese sauce and ground beef bits sautéed in garlic.

Romania

In Romania, fried potatoes are frequently served with mujdei, a popular garlic sauce, and often sprinkled with grated or crumbled brânză an extremely popular kind of sheep's cheese.

Spain

Patatas bravas

Patatas alioli

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the term french fries refers exclusively to the long thin version served in fast food establishments as opposed to traditional fish and chip shops. Chips are usually accompanied by salt and malt vinegar. Other types of vinegar (such as the vinegar drained from pickled onions) may occasionally be used.

Notable regional variations occur in the UK's tastes in other accompaniments. Gravy or curry sauce may be served, sometimes with grated cheddar which may be labeled as "cheesy chips" or "chips 'n cheese". A popular East of Scotland variation is to serve chips with salt and "sauce" (a mixture of brown sauce and vinegar). A cheaper replacement for vinegar, labeled non-brewed condiment may be found, and is an industrially produced solution of acetic acid coloured with caramel. In the north east of England chips are served with "chip spice" a mixture of paprika, salt and few other spices.

Other traditional accompaniments for chips in England include tomato ketchup and brown sauce.

United States

Whole cut fries with a burger, served in an American diner.

In the United States the most popular condiment for fries is ketchup, so much so that consumption of restaurant fries drives ketchup sales. Occasionally mustard is used, and malt vinegar is mainly available at restaurants which serve fish and chips. Fries are sometimes coated with melted cheese, called cheese fries. This can be in combination with chili, making chili cheese fries. A staple at many sports bars is fries with blue cheese dressing as a dip, or sometimes ranch dressing.

• Variations of cheese fries include fries covered with Cheez Whiz, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, garlic or cheese with garlic mayonnaise.
• In Rhode Island, both malt vinegar and ketchup are standards on the table in local restaurants.
• "Disco fries" with brown gravy and mozzarella, are a popular dish in New Jersey diners, while "boardwalk fries," served with malt vinegar, are popular along the Jersey Shore.
• Chili cheese fries have chili con carne and cheese topping the fries.
• In the Pittsburgh area, the Primanti Brothers chain serves its French fries as part of its sandwiches.
• In Springfield, Illinois, french fries are an essential component of the Horseshoe sandwich.
• Establishments in the Mid-Atlantic States often put Old Bay Seasoning on fries or provide Old Bay and malt vinegar as condiments. These are sometimes referred to as "boardwalk fries".^{[citation needed]}
• In Utah and surrounding areas, French fries are often served with fry sauce, a mixture of spices, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Fry Sauce is also found throughout the country in communities with large Mormon communities.
• In some parts of Southern California, specifically San Diego County, double-fried french fries are covered with chopped carne asada, guacamole, a small amount of sour cream, and topped with Cotija cheese to create carne asada fries and are served almost exclusively in taco shops.
• In the Midsouth, fries are often served with country gravy.
• Sour cream is a common accompaniment at restaurants in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.
• Cheese-flavored salt is used at Birmingham, AL-based fast-food restaurant, Jack's.

Steak fries are thicker-cut fries, often with the skins intact. They are often coated with spices or marinated before cooking. They may be fried or baked in the oven.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, restaurants are usually found serving fries with sugar over a dollop of soft butter.^{[citation needed]}