You just had to get started. Saturday will be held in Arras, in Pas-de-Calais, the first world fry championship. A competition which pits around thirty candidates selected on the fryer. The fried potato will therefore be in the spotlight in a territory, Artois, which remains, more than ever, a land of potatoes. 20 minutes decided not to miss a beat by asking a member of the jury, Marie-Laure Fréchet, author of Big Book of Potatoes*, to tell us the genesis of this new fun event.
How did this idea of a world fry championship come about?
The idea is to defend know-how, both professional and family, by organizing a fun event on the same model as the andouillette festival which takes place every year at the end of August in Arras. The project began to mature at the start of the year within the tourist office. The objective was also to surf European gastronomy label that the Hauts-de-France region obtained this year. And at the same time, we created the fresh fries brotherhood.
There was no fry brotherhood?
Not to our knowledge. The inaugural meeting and first inductions of supporters took place in August. Jean-Paul Dambrine, founder of Sensas friteries, is part of this brotherhood. I am the president with the title of “Grande Huile”. For now, there are five of us. Ultimately, we should reach ten.
Is Arras legitimate to organize this event around fries?
Quite. The city is home to around ten French fry shacks in the city, there are around twenty of them. In the surrounding area, potato cultivation remains very present. And then, this championship is part of a historical perspective with Charles de L’Ecluse, known as Clusius, a famous botanist of the 16th century. He was born in Arras which belonged to the Netherlands at the time. He was one of the first to be interested in potatoes, two centuries before Parmentier, when everyone thought that they were only food for pigs.
How will this championship go?
Four categories have been defined: the family fry, the authentic fry, the creative fry and the fry sauce of the year. The good news is that we have applications from everywhere. Some come from Brittany, but also from all over the world, not just from Belgium. From memory, there is a Thai candidate, another is Spanish. Several nationalities will be represented. All this in the heart of a French fry village with exhibitors and numerous activities, with a brass band. Always around fries and potatoes.
Won’t it be too complicated to taste fries all day?
The tests will take place, in fact, all day in public, on the main square of Arras. I prepare a light meal the day before. We must judge the cooking techniques. The idea is to discover non-standardized tastes, new ways of doing things. We hope to have good surprises.
* Published in September 2023, by Flammarion.