Curly fries are french fries cut into a spiral shape, typically seasoned with a distinct spice mix composed primarily of paprika, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.^[1] Though they are sometimes said to have been invented by the Arby’s restaurant chain, their actual origins are more complex.^[2]

The creation date of the curly fry has been pinpointed, but its existence can be traced back to the 19th century.^[1] Oklahoma City's Dolores Restaurant and Inn served curly fries as "Suzi-Q potatoes" in 1938.^[3] In the 1980s, Washington company TaterBoy had the debut of the industrial "Curley Fries".^[1] The first company to produce curly fries in mass quantities is Simplot, which used the specific blend of spices that became popular.^[2] Arby's is well known for curly fries, but they did not introduce them until 1988.^[1] However, Arby's may have been the first company to utilize Cajun-style seasoning on their "Curly-Q Fries".^[4]

ConAgra Foods, the company which produces Arby's curly fries, uses powerful industrial machinery such as spiralisers to turn whole potatoes into the curly fry shape. The curly fry shape can also be produced with spiral scissors. ^[5] For the spiralisers, the potatoes are cleaned, then are propelled through a set of pipes at 60 miles per hour by water. In the pipes, the potatoes are held in place and sliced by rotating blades, producing a spiral that has been found to go over two and a half feet long when stretched out. The fries are then blanched, dried, battered with a mixture with the seasoning inside, fried, frozen, and refried at the restaurant.^[2]