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Article 6. POTATOES - Gold of the Incas - Lifesavers from the Cellar…..

Some fancy appellations for the lowly potato… indeed!

Way back in 1532 when the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro robbed and plundered his way across the land (by today’s definition, Peru and Colombia) he was blinded by his greed in the presence of Inca gold which he and his cohorts shipped in huge quantities to the old world. However, there was another gold which he inadvertently took along and which eventually was to benefit much of mankind …. the Potato. Its journey took it from South America to Spain, thence to England and Ireland and continental Europe. Eventually it made its way back across the Atlantic to North America. Today, there are more than 1000 different varieties worldwide.

The potato is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables. Archaeological explorations in Peru have shown evidence of potato cultivation dating back some 8000 years. In Europe it was not until the 18th century that the potato became an established kitchen vegetable, having spent some time first as a decorative plant that adorned many a flower garden. The king of Prussia, having recognized the potato as ideal nutrition for large segments of the population, issued a decree making the potato accessible to all strata of society and in fact, ordered the army to plant them on a large scale.

Whole civilizations have risen and fallen on the strength of the potato, and in times of war battles were fought over the possession of some potato fields. And in times of calamity, such as the Irish Potato Famine, large scale migration to the New World took place.

Life without potatoes today - quite unimaginable! Just about every major cuisine features potatoes in a whole host of preparations. It was Goethe, the German philosopher and poet, who declared “whole in the morning, mashed at noon and sliced in the evening - that’s healthy and that’s the way to do”!

What makes potatoes so valuable?

As vegetables (and other plant products) usually demonstrate, they contain nutritional as well as medicinal properties. Rich in carbohydrate, which is a source of quick energy and hidden just under its skin is a rich arsenal of nutrients and particularly rich in vitamin C and potassium, potatoes also contain iron, and a range of B vitamins needed to strengthen nerves, healthy skin, good vision and a strong heart. Then there are minerals and trace elements, among them iron that promotes healthy blood, copper and fluoride for the teeth, and magnesium for stress, and potassium to regulate urinary fluids.

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Medicinal Application

Long ago practitioners of the healing arts recognized the soothing properties of the water in which potatoes were cooked. Taken in small sips, this ‘tonic’ has a particularly beneficial effect on a weak stomach. Too combat excess acidity in the system, raw potato juice (extracted by means of a juicer) is one of the best remedies for all the symptoms associated with acidity: heart burn etc.

Some contraindications: Potatoes belong to the family of Night Shade Plants and some people, unfortunately, have allergic reactions to these plants.

Culinary Uses

One could fill a whole cookbook with recipes that utilize potatoes. They are not only an enormously versatile vegetable that can be steamed and boiled, mashed and baked, grated and marinated - but also because they can taste so utterly delicious. The taste, of course, varies among the different varieties and ways of preparation, with the tastiest varieties still to be found in Central and South America. However, Yukon Gold and the red skin varieties have enough flavour to prompt you to toss the ketchup in the garbage, where it belongs! Never store raw potatoes in the refrigerator. The low temperature will turn some of the starch into sugar.

For Culinary uses visit the Recipes page:

Edith Carter

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