|
The humble spud is one of the most popular foods of the western
world. The word 'potato' comes from the Caribbean word batata,
which means sweet potato. The potato is actually part of the
same family as the tomato, eggplant, pepper and deadly nightshade.
Potatoes are high in vitamin C, potassium and fibre. Whether
they are boiled, baked, sauted roasted or fried they are a
filling and nutritious staple for millions throughout the
world.
From Darkest Peru to the Deep Fat Fryer
Although the potato began its journey in the highlands of
Peru more than 6,000 years ago, the wandering tuber has become
firmly rooted in European & American culture and traditions
over the last 500 years.
South America
Ancestors of the legendary Incas were the first to cultivate
potatoes, high up in the South American Andes. It is believed
that they held strong beliefs associated with the tuber, and
used them as a means of telling the time and predicting the
future. Potatoes were so important to the people of this region
that their descendants, the modern day Quechua Indians, have
more then 1000 different names for potatoes in their native
language.
Europe
In the early 15th century Spanish explorers sampled potatoes
in Ecuador, and introduced them to France, Spain and Italy
on their return. Later the same century Sir Francis Drake
stopped off in Colombia and stocked up on potatoes for his
long voyage home from the Caribbean.
It is thought that Drake gave a few left over spuds to Sir
Walter Raleigh, who planted them on his estate in Ireland.
Some time later Raleigh presented Queen Elizabeth I with a
gift of potato plants, but unfortunately her cooks had never
even seen a potato before and made a meal out of the stems
and leaves rather than the tuber itself. The dish made the
royal family quite sick, with the result that potatoes were
banned in England for a hundred years.
The potato was an unpopular crop throughout Europe for centuries,
widely regarded as a food fit only for peasants. It was Marie
Antoinette who finally popularised the plant in the 18th century,
by wearing potato blossoms in her hair. Potatoes became all
the rage, and they rapidly became indispensable to all sectors
of society.
Ireland and the Irish Potato Famine
Ireland was the first European country to cultivate potatoes,
and they were ideally suited to the cool, moist climate there.
The Irish relied on potatoes as a vital source of nourishment
from the late 16th century, and the average family consumed
an incredible 250 pounds of potato a week.
Disaster struck in the 1840s, when a fungus called Phytophthora
Infestans infected and destroyed potato crops across the land,
with devastating consequences: more than a million people
starved to death in the most serious famine ever to strike
the Emerald Isle. Thousands emigrated to America in search
of better fortunes and food to sustain their families. Those
who remained had little choice but to scavenge for whatever
morsels they could scrape together, and pray that the disaster
would not be repeated.
Their prayers were answered years later, when a wild potato
plant resistant to the ravages of the fungus was discovered
in Chile. It was brought to Ireland and today the potato continues
to have a place in the hearts and stomachs of the Irish people.
United States
Potatoes were first brought to North America in the 1620s,
but it was Irish settlers in New Hampshire who, hungry for
a taste of their homeland, first cultivated the crop. As Irish
immigrants continued to flock to America, increased demand
for potatoes led to the establishment of a thriving potato
industry.
Today the potato is the nation’s favourite vegetable,
and one in three meals eaten by an American contains potato.
They are grown commercially almost every state of the USA,
but Idaho lays claim to the title of potato capital. With
its fertile volcanic soil, warm days and cool nights, Idaho’s
climate has proved perfect for growing potatoes and produces
some of the finest spuds known to man. |
