Belgium turns up the heat in chip-cooking debate

Belgian politicians have expressed outrage at what they say is an assault on their culture, after the European Commission proposed that chips should be blanched before frying them.

Frites — or frietjes in the Flemishspeaking north of the country — are fried raw in Belgium and adored for being crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Ben Weyts, Belgium’s Minister for Tourism, claimed European Union officials were plotting to destroy the country’s “rich gastronomical traditions” and accused the commission of being out of touch with its member states.

“Our fries owe their flavour to the craftsmanship of our chippies, who fry chips raw and then fry them a second time,” he said.

“I understand that outside our country they have different cultures. But we have our own cultural tradition. It would be a shame if the European Union prohibited it.”

The European Commission denies it is planning to introduce a ban, saying its advice on blanching was merely a “recommendation” which has yet to be approved by member states.

Blanching was recommended in the draft as part of new food safety measures that would prevent the formation of acrylamide, a carcinogenic compound, in fried snacks.

Anca Paduraru, a commission spokesman, said Belgium was playing “a political game” and added: “We do not oblige anyone to blanch potatoes. They can do with the potatoes what they want if the temperature is lower than 175C.”