Frites–or, technically, pomme frites–are similar to what Americans call French fries, with some significant differences. For starters, people who eat pomme frites (often called frietjes) usually have them with mayonnaise (a common Belgian condiment), not ketchup, and often use a small plastic fork. As well, frites are prepared slightly differently than are French fries (including frying twice) and are traditionally served in a paper cone. You can even order frites in a sandwich, a dish called mitraillette.

According to one leading Belgian agriculture official, a lower amount of rain has resulted in significant areas of dry ground, resulting in a drop in the amount of potatoes produced. And at the end of that chain of events is the possibility that pomme frites, made from potatoes, will be noticeably smaller than usual.

Pomme frites have long been a favorite of Belgian people. One origin story of the dish goes back to a particularly cold winter in 1680, when people in the town of Namur couldn't have their usual allotment of fried fish because their local river, the Meuse, froze over and so they fried potatoes instead.

More widely, the Belgian government has applied to the European Union for emergency funding to try deal with the ramifications of the drought, which has also hit other Western European countries, such as England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.