While some dishes and ingredients are found in many parts of the world, every culture will have its take on even the most simple foods, like french fries.

These deep-fried strips of potatoes are tasty, filling comfort food that serves as an excellent vehicle for almost any sauce, condiment, or topping. Canadians famously created the French fries, gravy, and cheese curd combo known as poutine. In San Diego, someone looked at a plate of steak nachos and thought, “What if I put this stuff on top of French fries instead or tortilla chips?” And so was birthed the glory that is carne asada fries.