Question: Where were French Fries commonly thought to be invented?
About the article "French fries", section "France and other French-speaking countries".

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Culinary origin.
It is claimed that fries originated in Belgium, and the on-going dispute between the French and Belgians about where they were invented is highly contentious, with both countries claiming ownership.
The popularity of the term "French fries" is explained as a result of "French gastronomic hegemony" internationally, where the cuisine of Belgium was assimilated because of a lack of understanding.
Belgian journalist Jo Gérard claims that a 1781 family manuscript recounts that potatoes were deep-fried prior to 1680 in what was then the Spanish Netherlands (present-day Belgium), in the Meuse valley: "The inhabitants of Namur, Andenne, and Dinant, had the custom of fishing in the Meuse for small fish and frying, especially among the poor, but when the river was frozen and fishing became hazardous, they cut potatoes in the form of small fish and put them in a fryer like those here.
"Gérard has not produced the manuscript that supports this claim, which, even if true, is unrelated to the later history of the French fry, as the potato did not arrive in the region until around 1735.
Also, given 18th century economic conditions: "It is absolutely unthinkable that a peasant could have consecrated large quantities of fat for cooking potatoes.
At most they were sautéed in a pan...".
Some people believe that the term "French" was introduced when British and American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I and consequently tasted Belgian fries.
They supposedly called them "French", as it was the local language and official language of the Belgian Army at that time, believing themselves to be in France.
At this time, the term "French fries" was growing popular; however, in the south of Netherlands, bordering Belgium, they were, and still are, called "Vlaamse frieten" ("Flemish fries").
""Pommes frites"", ""frites"" (French), or ""frieten"" (Dutch) became the national snack and a substantial part of several national dishes, such as Moules-frites or Steak-frites. 
In France and other French-speaking countries, fried potatoes are formally "pommes de terre frites", but more commonly "pommes frites", "patates frites", or simply "frites".
The word ""aiguillettes"" or "allumettes" is used when the chips are very small and thin.
One enduring origin story holds that French Fries were invented by street vendors on the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris in 1789, just before the outbreak of the French revolution.
Eating potatoes was promoted in France by Parmentier, but he did not mention fried potatoes in particular.
Many Americans attribute the dish to France and offer as evidence a notation by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.
""Pommes de terre frites à cru, en petites tranches"" ("Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small cuttings") in a manuscript in Thomas Jefferson's hand (circa 1801–1809) and the recipe almost certainly comes from his French chef, Honoré Julien.
In addition, from 1813 on, recipes for what can be described as French fries occur in popular American cookbooks.
By the late 1850s, one of these uses the term "French fried potatoes".
"Frites" are the main ingredient in the Canadian dish of Québécois descent known in both Canadian English and French as poutine, consisting of fried potatoes covered with cheese curds and gravy, a dish with a growing number of variations.
In Canada, French fries are the main component of a dish called "poutine", a mixture of French fries with fresh cheese curds, covered with a hot gravy (usually), hot chicken sauce (much less common), or chicken BBQ sauce (rarely).
This dish was invented in rural Quebec in the late 1950s and is now popular in many parts of the country and is served at many fast-food chains.
Several Québécois communities claim to be the birthplace of poutine.
A variant, "disco fries", may be found in the Northeastern United States.
In Newfoundland, "chips, dressing and gravy" (referred to by outsiders as "Newfie fries") comprise French fries topped with "dressing" (turkey stuffing made with summer savory) and gravy.
Another variation consists of topping the French fries with either ground beef, hot dogs, dressing and cheese and topped with gravy.
Yet another Newfoundland recipe called a "mess" (compare with "poutine") consists of fries, gravy, dressing, and wieners.
In Prince Edward Island, "fries with the works" (or FWTW as it is some times called) is a combination of French fries, fried hamburger, fried onions, gravy (usually beef), peas, and optionally mushrooms.
Other common toppings include green onions, tomatoes, carrots, sour cream, and grated cheese. 
In the Netherlands, fries are popular as fast food and served in vending points similar to the ones in Belgium.
Fries are served with mayonnaise or a lower-fat version called "fritessaus" ("fries sauce"), although the latter is often also referred to as mayonnaise.
This combination is usually called "patat met" (for "fries with"), as opposed to "patat zonder" ("fries without", without any sauce).
Other popular sauces are "satésaus" (satay sauce, a peanut sauce that is also served with the Indonesian meat "sate"), curry ketchup, and "speciaal" (special; a mixture of chopped raw onions, "frietsaus", and curry ketchup or tomato ketchup).
Another interesting combination is "Patatje Oorlog" (Dutch for "French Fries War"), which is French fries with mayonnaise, sate sauce, and onions, a variety that differs from region to region, and even from one snackbar to another.
While it sometimes means mayonnaise (or rather, "fritessaus", or "fries sauce"), peanut sauce and chopped raw onions, in other places it means the fries are accompanied with all condiments available.
On average, Dutch snackbars typically offer between 9 to 10 different condiments to be eaten with fries, or to be combined (the condiments are never free in Dutch "snackbars"), but some venues serve many more.
A recently introduced way of serving fries is the "kapsalon" ("hair salon", named so because Nataniël Gomes, a hairdresser from Rotterdam invented the dish), which consists of fries, shoarma (or another kebab style such as Doner), lettuce, molten cheese, hot sauce and garlic sauce in an aluminum foil tray which is then briefly baked off in an oven.
Another recent addition to the plethora of accompaniments is Joppiesaus, a mayonnaise-based sauce whose recipe is a trade secret.
In 2013 a fast food store in Amsterdam started selling fries with weed sauce.
Fries are often accompanied by other popular deep-fried fast foods such as the kroket and frikandel, but fries are also served as a side dish in regular restaurants. 
There are many variations of poutine.
Some restaurants offer poutine with such additions as chicken, bacon, or Montreal-style smoked meat.
Some such restaurants even boast a dozen or more variations of poutine.
For instance, more upscale poutine with three-pepper sauce, merguez sausage, foie gras or even caviar and truffle can be found.
Some variations eliminate the cheese, but most Québécois would call such a dish a "frite sauce" ("french fries with sauce") rather than poutine.
Shawinigan and some other regions have "patate-sauce-choux" where shredded raw cabbage replaces cheese.
Fast food combination meals in Canada often have the option of getting french fries "poutinized" by adding cheese curds (or shredded cheese in the Prairies and Western Canada) and gravy.
Over the years, there have been many variations to this Classic Canadian Dish.
Sweet potato, for example, has been invented to be a healthy alternative to french fries.
The idea of adding dietary fiber and vitamins in this classic dish is widely appraised by the public.
Outside Canada, poutine is found in northern border regions of the United States such as New England, the Pacific Northwest and the Upper Midwest.
These regions offer further variations of the basic dish.
Cheeses other than fresh curds are commonly used (most commonly mozzarella cheese), along with beef, brown or turkey gravy.
In the county culture especially, a mixed fry can also come with cooked ground beef on top and is referred to as a hamburger mix, though this is less popular than a regular mix.