It is uncertain who first fried potatoes in hot grease or oil. However, the Belgians claim to have invented "French" fries. They were prepared as early as the 1700s and were simply referred to as fried potatoes. Thomas Jefferson first sampled them in Paris and brought the recipe home with him. In 1802 a dish listed as "potatoes served in the French manner" appeared on a White House menu. At first "french fries" were a dish of the elite as the oil for cooking the potatoes was very expensive. John Adams accused Jefferson of "putting on airs by serving such novelties."