Oh, the potato. This is one of those products that is versatile and nutritious, maybe like no other. You can have it fried, broiled, boiled, baked, scalloped, mashed, dried,in dumplings, in pancakes, etc. It is known in the botanical world as "Solanum Tuberosum" and its origin is in the Andes, Peru. It is a tuber, grows underground and has a high content of starch, and Vitamins C, B6, magnesium, potassium and fiber among others.
The Spaniards introduced the potato to Europe at the end of the XVI century. The Spaniards didn't know what to do with it, but it is believed they ate it boiled. Little by little, it spread through Europe. At the time grains were more important, until farmers and peasants realized the nutritional value of the potato, the easiness to grow and store. By the XVIII century, the Irish depended on the potato in their diets, but poor genetic improvement of the potato made it very vulnerable to disease. In the famine years of 1845-1852, 1,000,000 Irish died and 1,000,000 more emigrated from Ireland. There are more than 4000 varieties of potatoes and there is also a museum dedicated just to the potato: "The Potato Museum" in New Mexico.
Tip: The potato absorbs a lot of salt, so when you got carried away with the salt on a dish add a potato cut in quarters.
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| Red, great for boiling; Yukon, fantastic for mashed potatoes; Fingerling, for stews and Purple, for stews and fried. |
The Spaniards introduced the potato to Europe at the end of the XVI century. The Spaniards didn't know what to do with it, but it is believed they ate it boiled. Little by little, it spread through Europe. At the time grains were more important, until farmers and peasants realized the nutritional value of the potato, the easiness to grow and store. By the XVIII century, the Irish depended on the potato in their diets, but poor genetic improvement of the potato made it very vulnerable to disease. In the famine years of 1845-1852, 1,000,000 Irish died and 1,000,000 more emigrated from Ireland. There are more than 4000 varieties of potatoes and there is also a museum dedicated just to the potato: "The Potato Museum" in New Mexico.
Tip: The potato absorbs a lot of salt, so when you got carried away with the salt on a dish add a potato cut in quarters.
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