Drier weather means smaller ‘Belgian’ traditional potato ‘frites’

Belgium’s traditional potato “frites” will be 3cm (1.1in) smaller than normal, due to drier conditions.

Pierre Lebrun, head of the Walloon Potato Growers’ Association, said lower levels of rainfall had reduced potato crop yields by 25%.

“Because the potatoes are smaller at the moment, we will all be eating smaller chips,” he told the Sudpresse newspaper.

“Frites” are a signature Belgian dish, often eaten with mayonnaise.

Mr Lebrun said the dry ground also made farmers’ work more difficult. “It’s the same thing across southern England, the Netherlands, France and western Germany,” he said.

Belgium is currently petitioning Unesco to endorse the dish as an official icon of the country’s cultural heritage.

BBC