In the 16th and 17th century, Spain had an impressive empire that spread from the east coast of the Americas, to the Sahara, India and Malaysia. Their troops took potatoes for food and spread them far and wide. Peasants were also a fan of the potato, because it grew underground and was less likely to be plundered by passing peckish armies. Another factor that spread their seeds about, was the Little Ice Age which started around the 1550s. Spuds are hardier than grain so many farmers switched to those bad boys instead. The potatoes roots were now firmly in the soil of Europe.
Just as a bit of a break from the history lesson, here’s a picture of the world’s heaviest potato, grown in southern Lebanon. It smashes the veg bowl at 11.3kg:
Who can imagine Russians without vodka? Not me. But they didn’t adopt the potato as a crop until 1838 when their grain crops failed, so what did they do for kicks before then? Don’t worry, I found out, they made vodka from rye, wheat and barley… phew.
During the 19th century, Europe had a massive population spurt which aided the advance of the potato because it doesn’t perish very quickly, it’s bulky and fills you up and it’s literally as cheap as chips. Without the potato the industrial revolution would have been a lot tougher for those at the bottom of the pile. Potatoes have more potassium than a banana and more vitamin C than a tomato, so a hard working man could do worse than a meal of mash every eve.
☛ Next Up: The Day I Gave Up Food. Meal Replacements — The Truth
