Sven De Ville & Evelyn De Ronne

Sven spent ten years frying 'fries' deep in the Flemish Ardennes, where the potatoes used to make this classic Flemish snack thrive in clayey soil. Between the potato fields, he learned his craft. After a decade, the city beckoned and he moved his shop to Ghent.

One specific customer drew his attention. Evelyn was working at a sandwich shop around the corner and came by regularly for fries. Sparks flew and now the couple run Frituur Tartaar together. The sandwich shop has become their takeaway site. The potatoes are still from the Flemish Ardennes. “The taste is incomparable,” says Sven.“It must be something in the soil. I’ll only use those potatoes for my fries. I’ve been buying from the same supplier from sixteen years now. They are the distributor for local farms in the region.” According to Sven, the best potatoes for fries are Bintjes.

“Bintje fries come out crisp, don’t become too dark and are deliciously floury on the inside.” Sven likes to eat fries with spicy samurai sauce and a bit of Ghent pickle. Evelyn prefers an adventurous combination of sweet joppie sauce, satay spices, vegan stew and sour gherkins.

The city is popular with tourists, who often come to their shop as well. “We hate it when foreign visitors ask for French fries,” laughs Evelyn. “We say, sorry, we don’t serve those here,” adds Sven. “Fries are an essential element of Flemish food culture. Everyone visits a fries stand occasionally, from all walks of life. Flemings of all sorts gather here to enjoy perfectly fried fries together.