Hi everyone,
I know it's been a long time but this has been quite an eventful year. I went from being unemployed to having two jobs and then getting a full time job as a History teacher. I currently work at a High School in the City.
Now that school is out I have time to think about the food I eat and where it comes from yet again.
Since its summer time and BBQ is the name of the game, potatoes are taking center stage on my plate. This is perfect since I love potatoes in any way, shape or form (forget pasta and bread, at least until another post). French fries are awesome but so are chips, baked potatoes, mashed potatos, tater tots and potato salad. So, where did this miracle food come from? Since I'm a history teacher I already know but I thought perhaps others would wonder.
History
The people of South America in the Andeans Mountains had many different names for potatoes. Red potatoes were called “weep blood for the Inca” and those with different shapes and varieties have names like "ashes of the soul," and "strong morning frost."
The name “potato” originates from the Spanish word “patata,” and the name has been adapted in many different cultures. Some other common names for potatoes include spuds (a slang term for a potato digging spade), taters, murphies, tatties (in Scotland), papa (in the Americas and certain areas of Spain), pomme de terre (in France), and Kartoffel (in Germany).
Nutrition and the Potato
Potatoes are a healthy source of nutrition. Although the nutrient content varies depending on the type of potato and the soil and weather conditions under which the potato is cultivated, all potatoes contain the same basic types of nutrients. Most of the tuber (the part of the potato that is enlarged to store nutrients) is water, so only a small part of the tuber is used for food. Potatoes contain complex carbohydrates which are important for energy. The starch found in potatoes is very digestible, more than that found in corn and wheat. While potatoes are low in protein, they contain large amounts of vitamins B and C as well as ascorbic acid, potassium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium. The vitamin C from potatoes can help prevent the disease scurvy if a diet is lacking in fruit. One serving (a medium-sized potato) provides 45% of the recommended daily intake for vitamin C, almost no fat, and only 100 calories. Potatoes also contain salts that make up five percent of the potato and help maintain the alkaline levels in the blood. If paired with milk or dairy products to provide calcium and vitamins A and D, the potato can be the anchor to a nutritionally complete diet. It is a common misconception that most nutrients are found in or around the skin; for example, vitamin C is primarily fixed in the center of the potato.
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Potatoes can also come in colors such as purple, red, and blue. The colorful potato varieties are healthier because they contain the antioxidants anthocyanins that have anticarcinogenic properties. The same antioxidants that give blueberries their color are what make these potatoes colorful.The white color in some potatoes is caused by the pigment anthoxanthins, which are antioxidants that help prevent cancer. Potatoes have more antioxidants than nearly every vegetable, except broccoli.
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Potatoes can be very nutritious, but they must be prepared in certain ways to retain their nutritional value. Peeling and boiling removes some of the nutritional content from the potatoes, but the processes are important for getting rid of dirt and pesticides. Boiling potatoes retains much of the nutritional content, such as fiber and low amounts of fat. Frying potatoes results in more than 10 times the fat of boiled potatoes. In addition to added fat, fried potatoes (in the form of potato chips and french fries) have less than 50% the nutrients of boiled potatoes. A potato peeled at the beginning of processing will have half the fiber. Also, the potato loses vitamin C after being exposed to the air and heat involved in processing potatoes.
Geographic Origin (and the Irish Potato Famine)
Some scientists believe that wild potatoes grew in Chile around 13,000 years ago before any human agriculture. The wild potato is most diverse in the Lake Titicaca region of Peru and Bolivia where it was cultivated between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago.70 No later than 7,000 years ago, Andean peoples farmed potatoes. The blue potatoes of today are the most similar to the original potatoes, although there were many different kinds of potatoes in the Andean peoples‟ diet. These people grew potatoes on the mountains because their usually foods of yucca and maize would not grow in the mountain's climate.
The potato is estimated to have reached Spain around 1570, although the Spanish conquistadors first encountered potatoes in 1530. The Spanish did not think it was important to bring the potatoes back to Spain immediately, and when potatoes were first brought back they were primarily treated as ornamental plants that inspired fear, similar to the Venus Fly Trap today. From Spain the potato spread to Italy and then England. However, because the potato was so easy to grow and cultivate, the Europeans initially viewed it as “food for the poor.” Potatoes first became popular in Spain by accident. The Spaniards already ate sweet potatoes, and figured if those were acceptable to eat, other types of potatoes were acceptable too. They assumed sweet potatoes and potatoes were simply different versions of one crop, instead of being completely different species.
The Irish were the first Europeans to accept the potato as a field crop in the 17th century. There is no proof as to how the potato reached Ireland, it may have been a Spanish sailor who brought the potato to Ireland. Many historians believe that the first potatoes were planted in County Wicklow in the 1640s.
The potato became popular in Ireland because it produced many tubers and could be grown and stored underground. By 1650 it became a staple food and replaced wheat as the major crop. The potato saved Ireland from famine as early as 1728, and also in 1729 and 1740.94 Between 1780 and 1841, the population doubled in Ireland due to the wide acceptance of the potato. But in 1845, potato blight (fungus) destroyed 40% of the crop. At this time, an average of 5.5 pounds of potatoes was consumed daily by each resident.
Although Ireland grew other crops, most of them were exports to Europe and were too expensive for the Irish to afford. Even during the famine, Ireland remained an exporter of food. In 1846 the blight destroyed 90% of the potatoes, and the fungus reappeared in full force in 1848-1849. People tried to prevent the spread of the disease by cutting the black stalks, setting fires to clean the air, pouring holy water on the fields, and putting stones over the fields to bury the disease, but nothing worked. The disease was even able to spread to stored potatoes in the barns. More than a million and a half Irish people either died or emigrated in search of food.
Potato Chips
The potato chip was accidentally invented in Saratoga Springs, NY in the early 1850s. A dissatisfied customer at Half Moon Hotel supposedly sent his fried potatoes back to the chef saying they were too thick. The chef then sliced the potatoes very thin, fried them in fat, and salted them to get back at the customer. But the patron loved them, and the potato chip, known as Saratoga chips at the time, became a new product. The potato's popularity increased even more after it was cultivated in Idaho, currently the largest potato producer in the United States. A group of Mormons brought the potato to Franklin, Idaho in 1860. The growing conditions in Idaho are excellent for potatoes, with the moist soil, sunny days, and cool nights, which is why the potato flourished in the state.
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes This is an easy and flavor rich recipe for roasted potatoes.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
· 4-6 large potatoes, chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
· 3 tbsp olive oil
· 1/4 tsp sea salt
· 1/4 tsp black pepper
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees (only necessary if you have an old oven, newer ovens don't really need to preheat).
In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together until potatoes are lightly coated with olive oil.
Place potatoes in a lightly greased baking pan, and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove potatoes from oven and gently toss, turning the potatoes over as needed. Bake for another 25 minutes or until potatoes are done roasting. Turn on the boiler and crisp potatoes on low for about 5 minutes.
Enjoy your flavorful rosemary potatoes (hopefully somebody remembered to make something else to go with them. I made skirt steak and a garden fresh tomato and cucumber salad)!
Happy cooking,
Cin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato
http://www.ochef.com/answers/1595.htm
http://academics.hamilton.edu/foodforthought/Our_Research_files/potatoes.pdf
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/sidevegetabledishes/r/rosemarypotato.htm
Baking really calms me down. Earlier I was feeling
really angry and upset because of an argument that I had with my mother. It was
a silly argument but it stems from issues that we have had since I was a kid..JPG)
