Short answers, pulled from the story.
The oldest known document mentioning fried potatoes was written in 1629 by Francisco Núñez de Pineda. This account described eating fried potatoes called papas fritas while held captive by Mapuche warriors in the city of Nacimiento.
The exact inventor of french fries remains disputed among Chilean, Spanish, Belgian, and French claims. A 1781 family manuscript claimed potatoes were deep-fried prior to 1680 in the Meuse valley, though Gérard never produced the manuscript supporting this claim.
The standard method for cooking french fries involves deep frying potato strips in hot fat, typically oil. Chefs generally agree that the two-bath technique produces better results than single-stage frying.
McDonald's used a mixture of 93 percent beef tallow and 7 percent cottonseed oil until 1990. In 1990, they changed to vegetable oil with beef flavouring.
A large serving of french fries at McDonald's in the United States contains 510 calories. This serving includes 66 grams of carbohydrates, 24 grams of fat, and 7 grams of protein.
In June 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture classified batter-coated french fries as a vegetable under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. This classification was upheld in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit case Fleming Companies, Inc. v. USDA.