Belgium has always taken its frites very seriously, and now the land that claims to have invented and perfected French fries is once again a step ahead.
After a year of experimentation and preparation, locals and visitors can finally munch on fries fresh from an automatic dispensing machine outside a supermarket in Brussels, which blitzes pre-cooked fries to a perfect golden brown in 90 seconds. For €2.50 (about £2) you can get a little less than five ounces of fries, complete with salt and a fork. Sadly, you’ll have to choose between ketchup and mayonnaise, but you can add harissa for a spicy kick.
Dispensers of this kind have cropped up previously, but the Belgians believe they’ve now topped the competition with their use of high-quality beef fat alongside vegetable oil, as it gives the fries an extra-savory taste and a particularly crunchy finish. A triple filter keeps the wandering aromas from upsetting the neighbours, and plans are in the works for a croquette vending machine too.
There are some, however, who remain less excited: These automatic frie machines may well give Belgium’s iconic street frites vendors a run for their money. We wouldn’t worry too much, though – with their seemingly endless appetite for fries, Belgians will likely keep both men and machine in business.
(Image: Fries © p.studio66, 2013. Used under licence from Shutterstock.com)
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