A new postage stamp sheet dedicated to fritkots (chip shops) was unveiled on Monday by Bpost. With the new collection, the Belgian postal company wants to pay tribute to iconic Belgian fries shops, it explained in a statement.
"Belgium has a rich gastronomic culture, of which Belgian chips are one of the most famous culinary flagships in the world," Bpost points out in a statement. "The delicious history of the fritkot" stamp sheet pays tribute to a staple of Belgian heritage through five new postage stamps which alternate between traditional and modern chip shops.
The vignettes depict a 1950s-1960s red fritkot on the Grand-Place in Bruges; a fries restaurant that catered to the upper classes in the 1940s-50s in Liège; an old 1920s fritkot in Middelkerke; an ’80s-’90s fritkot set in a forest in the rain; and a mobile 1913 Brussels fritkot that ran on coal and was ferried around in the evenings by horse.
Credit: Bpost
Designer Geert Wille came up with a unique cut-out for the leaflet’s presentation. Once folded, it transforms into a miniature fries van revealing the five chip shops.
A limited edition stamp sheetlet with five stamps retailing for 13.60 euro goes on sale at the Philaboutiques in Brussels and Mechelen as well as the eShop on 28 August. For this special edition, stamp collectors will be welcomed at the Museum of French Fries in Bruges for a unique event celebrating the new collection on 2 September.
The first chip shops appeared from 1838 onwards, recalls bpost. They were mainly present at fairs, such as the Foire de Liège.
At the time, potatoes were peeled, cut and cooked on the spot, to order. After the Second World War, more stationary chip shops appeared on the streets of Belgium. The success of the fritkot was sealed by its inclusion in the National Heritage in 2017.
