From Ketchup to Fry Sauce: How Missouri Dips Differently Now

Traditionally in the Midwest the sauce you apply to French fries has been ketchup – full stop. There was no other answer, then the 21^st century arrived, and with it came changing tastes.

The American Midwest standard : French Fries and Ketchup

Ketchup is still employed in a primary way, but as we were laughing at Vincent Vega in “Pulp Fiction” sharing with Jules that people in France dip their fries in mayonnaise, the seeds of change were being sown.

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Along the east coast salt and vinegar was a time-honored French fry flavor enhancer that has found its way to the Midwest. You won’t be looked at as a foreigner if you request it, and at some restaurants it’s an option to order.

More of a British thing, but East Coast French fries regularly got the salt and vinegar

People born in the 1990s and into the 2000s also switched out a default position of ketchup on fries for a growing dedication to ranch dressing. The Euro revenge of mayo found its way across the pond to be mixed with ketchup, and ultimately refined into “Fry-sauce”, or in some places “fancy sauce”, with variations that include Worcestershire sauce, pickle juice, hot sauce, paprika, garlic or onion powder.

In the mid 2020s it isn't rare to find options for sauce flights

Some places mix things up further with truffle mayo, barbeque sauce, or the baaahd sauce at the “Black Sheep” locations in Springfield, Missouri. Nowadays, anything is up for grabs. I’ve jammed French fries into tzatziki sauce, honey mustard, and even gravy. Cheese sauce seems downright random in these adventuresome times of aioli combos, Sriracha, and sauces from myriad restaurants available. Get dunkin!