fries(Photo: Magone / Getty Images)

What is spud?

After a brutally hot and dry summer that caused a shortage of potatoes in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, french fries crossing the pond could lose up to an inch of salty delight.

With crops down 25 percent from normal, the Washington Post reports that Pierre Lebrun of the Walloon Association of Potato Producers told Sudepresse newspaper that much of Europe would be consuming smaller fries.

In Europe, drought means that prices are rising and spuds themselves are smaller. So how much contraction could these French fries have?

In Belgium, a region particularly affected, French fries could shrink an average of about three centimeters from the length of about three inches, according to the post office.

More: $ 250 in Paris? Incredible flight deals to Europe this fall

To what extent could French fries decrease in European countries like Belgium after the drought this summer? (Photo: EPA-EFE)

France and Britain are also expected to suffer from shorter fries, although Belgium (where mayonnaise is the preferred ketchup condiment), with more than 5,000 chip shops, is expected to be the most affected.

"French fries are essential. It's vital, "said Bernard Lefevre, president of the Belgian association of stand owners, Politico. "It's part of our culture – it's more than just a product – it's a symbol of Belgium."

Read or share this story: https://usat.ly/2xxW2pN