In Arras, the French fry world championship plunges into its first bath

Maximilien Carlier // Photo credit: Adrien Nowak / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 06:50, 07 October 2023

Some prefer them golden, others well cooked... In any case, French fry lovers have an appointment this Saturday in Arras for the first French fry world championship. A bit of a crazy idea on the part of the city's tourist office, but one that is experiencing a certain craze. For this first edition, it will welcome 32 participants and several categories are competing.

"A good French fry is a French fry that makes you want to eat it again"

On the tables already set up on the Grand Place in Arras, the fryers, the beef fat and the different varieties of potatoes are already ready, just like Vincent Croteau. The Canadian, who is one of the participants, peels the vegetable in his hands and already has his technique in mind: "I'm going to start by peeling it, then I'm going to soak it in water so that it loses some of its starch. First cooking and then a second for more crispiness."

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The competitors will have an hour and thirty minutes to prepare fries, served on plates, trays or in cones. But how do you evaluate a good French fries? "A good French fry is a French fry that makes you want to eat it again. It must be tender on the inside and golden brown on the outside," explains Jean-Paul Dambrine, owner of the Sensas chip shops and president of the jury for this competition.

For this first edition, this world championship will look more like a championship of France because out of the 32 participants, there is only one Canadian, one English and only one Belgian, only representative of the kingdom of fries.