Frietmuseum
Fries Museum

Do fries actually come from Belgium? Learn the history of the humble potato at Frietmuseum

The Freitmuseum doesn’t take itself too seriously. You’re here to learn the history of the great potato and how fries came to be. Go around the museum for tons of info panels on potato history plus info on how Belgian fries are made. Not quite what you thought you'd be doing after watching In Bruges, eh? But, turns out that there is plenty to learn about these crispy potato sticks! While the question “who made the first fried potato?” will lead you down a historical rabbit hole.

Belgians say that in the 1600s, Meuse Valley villagers would fry fish they caught in the river. From there, they started frying up other stuff too like the much loved potato. The whole French fry thing came about during WWI when Belgian soldiers served the British army fries. Since the Belgian army spoke French, the British named them “French fries”. France, obviously, also lays claim to the French fry and this drama has yet to reach a complete conclusion.

Go to the Fritemuseum for more info on fries to make up your own mind on who invented the first fried potato. Whoever made it, we can all agree they’re delicious. Just make sure - if you’re not Belgian - to not call them “French fries” when you’re in a country, as you’ll for sure get a lecture!

• Kid Friendly: Bringing the whole family? Get a quiz for children on the museum website (best for kids aged 6-12 years old.
• Historic Building: The Frietmuseum is inside the Saaihalle building, one of the 14th century buildings in Bruges. Its got quite the interesting history! In the late Middle Ages, the Saaihalle housed important representatives from Italian city-states like Genoa, Venice and Florence. Since then it has been home to Saaien weavers (hence the name), comedians and was even used as a brothel by German soldiers in WWI. Now its home to a museum about fries, who'd have thought?