If You're Not Splashing Malt Vinegar On Your French Fries, You're Missing Out

Americans prefer tomato ketchup, but it's fascinating to explore what people serve their fries with around the world. Mayo is popular in France and Belgium, while people in India generally prefer garam masala. Japan favors seaweed, sesame, and soy, and Bulgarians smother their fries in salty sirene cheese. In the Netherlands, they've even perfected an unexpected peanut butter-based sauce that turns humdrum fries into patatje oorlog, or "war potatoes."

Arguably, there's actually no bad condiment to use when it comes to enjoying an order of fries — fried potatoes are, after all, handheld spud happiness. It's possible, however, that you're missing out on the number one alternative accompaniment for fries, which is malt vinegar.

Malt vinegar is fermented from barley, which is also used in brewing beer. The two liquids share a tawny color and hoppy, nutty flavor. Splashed all over fries, malt vinegar gives a tart and pungent zing that cuts through the fattiness of the deep-fried potatoes in a deeply-satisfying way. Combined with a generous distribution of salt, you'll never reach for a red Heinz bottle again.

Serving french fries with malt vinegar is a distinctly British invention. Born in the "chippies," or fish and chips shops, of the U.K., fries with malt vinegar came from the fact that fried fish tastes pretty great when served with with veritable splashes of this liquid. Nowadays, British pubs serve malt vinegar alongside fries (or chips, as they call them across the pond) all by themselves.

Unsurprisingly, the vinegar trend has migrated to other places — namely, those that are either current or former colonies of the crown. Australia, New Zealand, and Canada all appreciate the tang of malt vinegar on their french fries. The gospel of malt vinegar has made the most headway in the Northeast section of the United States, where Yankees will sometimes offer it in restaurants alongside ketchup.

Luckily, you don't need to fly to the United Kingdom — or even New England — to eat fries with malt vinegar. In fact, you don't even need to leave the house. Cook up some frozen fries in your air fryer, which will make them irresistibly crispy, and grab a bottle of malt vinegar from the condiment aisle of your local supermarket. French fries that are wide and flat like British chips will taste yummiest, since they soak up the vinegar like a sponge, allowing the flavor to permeate. Sprinkle as much or as little malt vinegar as you want, and dig in... you'll be snacking like a Brit in no time!