Our selection of addresses in Lille to eat fries

In Hauts-de-France more than elsewhere in France, fries hold a special place. From the Baie de Somme to Lens, via Lille and all the way to the Côte d’Opale, hot oil vapors always float somewhere in the air above cities, beaches and countryside. And for good reason: never far away, always golden to the point, the famous deep-fried potato sticks are an integral part of the local culinary heritage – in the same way as other gourmet prides such as flamiche au maroilles, carbonade flamande, the welsh or the potjevleesch.

Double or triple cooking? Thick or thin cut? Vegetable oil or beef fat? Potatoes bintje, manon or even agria? At home, everyone will tell you about his little trick, his miracle formula, capable of transforming any kilo of potatoes into small crispy nuggets of gold. But once outside, custom means that the people of the North invariably take the way to the chip stalls.

These small gargotes mounted on wheels appeared for the first time in Belgium, in the middle of the 19th century.e century. At the time, these frietkot have the function of serving fast food to the workers directly at the exit of the factories. During the XXe century, these mobile mini-restaurants, similar to caravans, are gaining in popularity. They are modernizing, motorizing and invading the north of France. Their signs often take the name of a boss or a boss – when they are not betting on a good pun.

Inside, the one called the fryer is busy over two or even three cauldrons filled with hot oil. After plunging his fries into two successive frying baths, the cook picks them up using a slotted spoon, before draining them and then putting them to rest in a large stainless steel container. On request, the fries are finally rolled up in a cone, a tray or a large sheet of paper. According to tradition, they are garnished with condiments, as desired: purists opt for a dash of vinegar, mayonnaise or piccalilli sauce (based on pickled vegetables and spices); the more adventurous opt for samurai (ketchup, chilli, harissa), Andalusian (mustard, tomato, spices) or Algerian (mayonnaise, tomato, shallots, chilli) sauce.

The menus of the chip stands, in colorful colours, also offer a whole world of “snacks” with exotic-sounding titles: we speak, for example, of poulycroc (chicken meat coated in cornflakes), fricandelle ( a type of sausage originating from Benelux made from poultry, pork and veal), grizzly (a fried chicken skewer), mexicanos (a chicken skewer with a strong taste) among other cervelas and croquettes à la meat.

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