The History of Curly Fries

The earliest known record of a recipe for curly fries dates back to an 1824 cookbook written by Mary Randolph called The Virginia Housewife. It’s thought that she likely intended the fried potato spirals as an edible garnish rather than a bona fide side dish, but nevertheless, her recipe bears a strikingly close resemblance to modern curly fries. The first recorded instance of curly fries being served at a restaurant dates to 1940 at the Dolores Restaurant and Drive-In in Oklahoma City. Notably, Holley’s BBQ in Jacksonville also claims to have invented curly fries (as well as a machine to make them) back in 1937. (It’s worth noting that Randolph and the proprietors of both of the aforementioned restaurants may have all come up with the idea for curly fries independently from one another.) In 1988, Arby’s added curly fries to the menu and may have been the first to season them with the now-iconic, Cajun-inspired spice blend that’s now typically associated with the style of fry. Today, many fast-food and diner-style restaurants have curly fries on the menu and they also remain a popular offering in the frozen food aisle at grocery stores.