What name was given to French fries in U.S. House cafeterias in March 2003?

U.S. House cafeterias called French fries “Freedom fries” in March 2003.

The renaming was a political gesture made amid France’s opposition to the proposed U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. On March 11, Republican representatives Bob Ney and Walter B. Jones directed three House cafeterias to replace “French fries” on menus with “Freedom fries.” The same change also affected “French toast,” which became “Freedom toast,” and “French bread,” which became “Freedom bread.”

The episode began outside Congress. Neal Rowland, owner of Cubbie’s restaurant in Beaufort, North Carolina, introduced the term in February 2003. Congress then gave it national publicity because Ney chaired the House Committee on Administration, which had authority over House cafeterias.

The name was never a general replacement in American English. Many people mocked it, and a 2005 Gallup poll found that most respondents considered the renaming silly rather than patriotic. After Ney left the chairmanship, House menus reverted to “French fries” on August 2, 2006.