Here's How Dipping Fries Into Ketchup Became A Winning Combo

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French fries are beloved by a ton of people, with 82% of Americans claiming to enjoy them. Whether you prefer shoestring, curly, or crinkle-cut fries, you are likely dipping them in something — and, in the United States, that "something" is overwhelmingly ketchup. While French fries in all their spud-tastic glory have been popular since around the 1930s, our love of ketchup didn't come about for another ten or so years. History tells us that fast food restaurants started serving ketchup alongside French fries in the 1940s, and, consequently, dunking in the tangy red stuff became an American tradition. Today, 97% of American households have a bottle at home.

No matter whether you are enjoying your fries at McDonald's (where they, and not a meaty burger, are the best-selling item) or air-frying a bag of frozen French fries and hoping they don't turn out awful, ketchup is the perfect accompaniment to your hot, deep-fried 'taters. It tastes good with fries because it is sweet and fries are salty: A classic flavor contrast that delivers every time. Add in the sour punch from the vinegar in the sauce, and you have a very well-rounded flavor profile. No wonder fast food joints picked ketchup to serve alongside their fries, which might otherwise be rather boring! And, while other places in the world may pair their fries with a host of other condiments, ketchup will always reign supreme in our hearts.

Ketchup is not the only thing that Americans dip their fries in — some folks have a penchant for malt vinegar, ranch goes with everything in the States, and a popular NYC restaurant serves maple syrup along with their French fries! Utah has its ubiquitous "fry sauce," which is a 50/50 amalgamation of ketchup and mayonnaise. Outside the country, however, some wild and wonderful alternatives have us craving an international French fry buffet. For example, Canadians love poutine, in which fries are smothered in brown gravy and cheese curds. The closest thing we get to that in America is chili fries, which are also meaty and cheesy, but quite distinct from their Quebecois cousins.

In Belgium, the birthplace of the French fry, mayo or aioli are the predominant dippers. Some nations, like India and Japan, espouse powdering their fries, in curry powder and furikake respectively. And some countries' take on "ketchup" isn't quite the same as ours, but still very popular: The Philippines have banana ketchup, and Southeast Asia has chili ketchups. We've even spotted a German garlic ketchup that sounds downright scrumptious. Fried potatoes are a versatile blank canvas that is amenable to all sorts of taste pairings, and we think that's why there is so much geographic disparity in fry condiments. At the end of the day, enjoying fries seems to be a matter of deep personal preference... but, for our tastes, pass the (tomato) ketchup, please!