FUN POTATO FACTS

History

  • The potato is originally from the Andes Mountains, from Chile or Peru, and was known there as ‘Chunu’. The potato is cultivated for at least 7,000 years
  • The Incas placed slices of potato on limbs with fractures on the supposition that it would speed up the healing process. In addition, potato pulp or juice was used to treat burns and skin that had been damaged by extreme cold.
  • During the era of the Incas, the potato was called ‘Papa’ in their language, Quechua. This term was adopted and widely used by the Spaniards, who introduced the potato in Europe. The potato was the main source of food for the Incas.
  • Various peoples worshipped potato gods. The Incas worshipped the goddess Axomama, which means ‘Potato mother’. This goddess stems from Pachamama, the mother of the earth.
  • The potato growers among the Incas were already aware that they needed to delay planting the potatoes on the days that the sun was at its highest point, with a thin layer of clouds in front of the stars. Scientists recently discovered that the Incas were predicting the El Niño effect in this way: unfavourable climate changes resulting from the climate fluctuations of the oceans.
  • The Incas observed more rituals and various forms of superstition in which the potato played a main role: – They consumed the potato together with other foodstuffs to prevent Indigestion: a disruption of the digestive system due to eating too quickly, for example. – They carried potatoes on their person to prevent rheumatism – Measuring time: they would compare an amount of time that had passed with the time that it took to boil potatoes – They treated facial spots by washing the face with cold potato juice every day. – Burns or symptoms of frostbite were treated by rubbing finely chopped potato or potato juice on the skin. – A toothache was remedied by carrying a potato on one’s person – A sore throat was treated by putting a slice of potato in a stocking and tying it around one’s neck. – Aches in the body were relieved by rubbing the areas with water in which potatoes had been cooked.
  • During the Klondike Gold Rush in Alaska (1897-1898), potatoes were worth their weight in gold. Because of their high vitamin C content, miners traded gold for potatoes.
  • At the end of the 16th century, the potato was cultivated along the coast of the Bay of Biscay by relatives of Spanish sailors: they had brought the potatoes along as it was believed the potato would prevent the disease scurvy.
  • The Prussian king Frederick the Great, feared because of the food shortage in his kingdom, ordered his subjects to cultivate potatoes. He threatened to cut off the nose and ears of anyone who refused. He also admired the flowers of the potato plant to such an extent that he had these planted in his ornamental gardens in Berlin.
  • The Prussian king Frederick the Great recognized the potential of the potato, but he struggled to convince the people: they were simply not interested and did not see the point of cultivating and eating potatoes. And so, in 1774, the king ordered that a large plot be planted with potatoes and he saw to a seemingly ‘tight’ security set-up. The people were under the impression that whatever was being guarded so well must be good and delicious and so they stole the potatoes to grow in their own gardens!
  • There is both historical and genetic evidence that the potato was also introduced in India shortly after it found its way to Europe. The potatoes were presumably taken along by Portuguese travelling salesmen.
  • The first known printed image of a potato was by an Englishman: John Gerard and it could be found in his book called ‘Herball’ from the year 1597.
  • There were still doubts in the 16th century as to whether the potato was in fact a healthy food. The potato was viewed as a possible cause of madness, leprosy or diseases even far worse.
  • In the past, the potato played a role in the lives of the superstitious: a pregnant woman would do well not to treat herself to potatoes, and certainly not as an evening meal, to prevent having to give birth to a child with a large head.
  • Years ago in Ireland, the potato was used in the production of an alcoholic beverage. To that end, the amateur distillers boiled the potatoes and then distilled the brew. This was not entirely without risk, by the way: if the process did not proceed as it should have, then the beverage, called Proteen, was actually fatal.
  • The potato was enormously popular in Great-Britain in the period that Queen Victoria reigned. In honour of this product, an international potato show – that included hundreds of varieties – was held in the Alexandra Palace in 1879.
  • Because of the ‘Great potato famine’, many people from Ireland fled to countries such as America, Canada and Australia. This is precisely the reason why the Irish make up such a large part of the populations of these countries.
  • In the past, it was customary in many regions to plant potatoes on the day of a full moon or on Good Friday – irrespective of the date on which this occurred. Which meant that early potatoes had to lifted at Whitsuntide. It was believed that the harvest would be less abundant at any other time.
  • The well-known Mr. Potato Head was invented in 1952 by George Lerner, because he wanted to create dolls for his sisters at a low cost. Plastic parts were initially stuck into real potatoes; it was not until later that the body was produced using plastic. Mr. Potato Head became increasingly popular in 1995 after he appeared in the film Toy Story.
  • The cultivation of potatoes on the Wadden island Texel was dominated in the 17th century by the Oosterdijk family. The entire island of Texel was dependent of this peasant family for a daily meal of potatoes. During a slump in the potato business, Marc, the only son in the family, pronounced: Misery makes potatoes a mere grind. It is a saying that is still sometimes used on Texel to this day.
  • In earlier days, the entire family was needed when it was time to harvest the potatoes (by hand). Many children did not attend school during the harvest for that reason. This incited the Belgian government to introduce the fall break.

Potato cultivation

  • In 2007, the World Catalogue of Potato Varieties specified as many as 4200 varieties, from 101 different countries. No less than 3527 of these varieties stem from Latin America alone. (source: CIP, International Potato Center, Lima, Peru)
  • The record for the ‘largest potato’ is 3.8 kg. That is comparable to the average weight of a newborn baby: the largest potato was discovered in Hallam, Nottinghamshire, England in 2010.
  • The potato grows in more climate zones than any other food crop in the world and one hectare of potatoes yields more energy that one hectare with any other product.
  • The name of the variety “Opperdoezer Ronde” has the European Protected designation of origin (PDO) label since 1996. This means that no other potato that has not been cultivated in Opperdoes can be introduced on the market under that name.
  • The potato became the first food ever to be cultivated in outer space in October 1995. NASA and the University of Wisconsin developed the technology with an aim to supply astronauts and potential space colonies with food.
  • Potatoes are grown in more than 180 countries worldwide and they grow at sea level but also at altitudes up to more than 4500 metres. The potato is meanwhile a main foodstuff of 2/3 of the global population.
  • One hectare of land that is planted with potatoes yields four times as much food than the same piece of land when planted with corn. The potato is also easier to harvest and easier to process!
  • One of the most important threats to the potato is Phytophthora. This disease caused the ‘Great potato famine’ in Ireland around 1845, resulting in over 1 million deaths in a period of five years due to starvation.
  • If a potato is placed in the light, begins to grow and form a stem, then so-called sprouts develop. These sprouts can be examined in terms of features such as bud- and leaf-development, colour and hairs. It is possible to identify varieties based on these features, as they are virtually unique for every variety.
  • Various ‘forgotten’ varieties are becoming popular again. Varieties that were no longer grown because of, for example, a low production rate, are once again being cultivated and consumed. La Ratte, for example, stems back to 1872 and Cornes de Gattes (which literally means Goat’s horns) is from the period prior to 1850.
  • According to the Food and Agriculture Organization – FAO – of the United Nations, the global production of the potato is increasing every year by an average of 4.5%. The potato is popular because it is more sustainable than wheat and rice and it is easier to grow and process.
  • The highest potato plants ever reached a height of 2.5 metres and were the result of a cross-fertilization between the Agria and Bintje varieties. Most potato varieties can reach such heights. This is achieved by regularly removing the young tubers from the plant. This is done as part of selective breeding to stimulate plants that normally do not bloom to develop flowers so that they can be cross-fertilized.
  • The potato variety Bintje got its name when headmaster Klaas de Vries engaged in cultivating potatoes together with his students in the year 1905. He named the loveliest potato variety of them all after his most diligent pupil, Bintje Jansma.
  • Although the batata is referred to as ‘Sweet Potato’, it is not actually a potato: the plant stems from the bindweed family and the sweet potato is the starchy tuberous root. Contrary to the regular potato, it can be eaten raw. The potato accounts for a large part of the crops grown in Morocco: in terms of yield, it ranks third in that country, behind sugar beets and wheat. Not only do Moroccans consume lots of potatoes themselves, the potato is also a major export product. The potato, together with the tomato, is the largest product within the vegetable and fruit sector.

Potato consumption and preparation

  • The record for ‘Peeling potatoes’ was set in 1992 by 5 women who peeled 483.6 kg of potatoes in 45 minutes. They achieved this using only kitchen knives.
  • In Europe, the Portuguese consume the most potatoes per capita. The Irish rank second, followed closely by the British.
  • Scrubbing is the new peeling! The peel of potatoes is rich in vitamins and flavour. And so it is such a waste to dispose of the peel, particularly where it concerns new potatoes. Simply brush (or scrub) them well and then boil, pan-fry or roast them unpeeled! It doesn’t get easier than that and the result is delicious!
  • To demonstrate just how versatile the potato is, Irish chef and potato-lover Lucy Madden wrote a cookbook with the title: The Potato Year: 365 Ways Of Cooking Potatoes’ . It contains, as is evident from the title, 365 recipes for potatoes: one for every day of the year!
  • The peel of the potato will turn green if it is exposed to daylight, either during the cultivation or after harvesting. The green tainted parts are not suitable for consumption. Simply peel a thick layer off, removing all of the green, and problem solved!
  • The Cyprus- & Malta-potatoes are very flavourful potato varieties, as they are grown on rich, red volcanic soil. In addition, because of the mineral-rich soil, combined with the climatic circumstances and the salty sea air, it is possible to cultivate a top product with a minimum of fertilizer and crop protection measures.