Monday saw the opening of a museum celebrating one of Belgium's finest culinary delights - chips, known locally as frites or friets.
The Frietmuseum marks the addition of a new Brussels tourist attraction. It is located on 28 Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat – close to the Manneken Pis and of course, an assortment of the centre's finest friteries.
Promising a "fun, interactive and gourmet" experience, visitors travel through the history of the potato crop and its journey to the iconic Belgian frite from Peru to Liège.
The museum expects to reign in a minimum of 150,000 visitors a year, according to founder Eddy Van Belle.
The opening was attended by Mayor Philippe Close of the City of Brussels and Bernard Lefèvre, president of the Belgium's own fry-making organisation, the National Federation of Friturists.
Under the same ownership as the Bruges museum of the same name and Chocostory in Brussels, the exhibition firmly displays the pride Belgians take in their simple-yet-classic meal.
The protected heritage status that chip stands or frietkots attain speaks to the unity that they evoke in Belgium amongst varied languages, cultures, and beliefs.
Young Belgian architectural studio Studiomoto will also undertake the redesigning of ten friteries located in popular areas of the city in collaboration with the City of Brussels municipality, giving Brussels' favourite chip shops a deserved makeover.
