History of potatoes
Potatoes originate from South America, where you can still find this plant in the wild. It was in South America that they began to grow potatoes as a cultivated plant. The Indians ate it; in addition, potatoes were considered a living being, and the local population worshiped them. The spread of potatoes around the world began with the Spanish conquest of new territories. In their reports, the Spaniards described the local population, as well as the plants that were eaten. Among them was potato, which at that time had not yet received its usual name; then it was called truffle.
The historian Pedro Cieza de Leon made a significant contribution to the spread of potatoes throughout European countries. In 1551, he brought this vegetable to Spain, and in 1553 he wrote an essay in which he described the history of the discovery of potatoes, its taste and nutritional properties, the rules of preparation and storage.
From Spain, potatoes spread to Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain and other European countries. Potatoes began to be valued as an ornamental plant; they were practically not eaten as they were considered poisonous. Later, the nutritional and taste properties of potatoes were confirmed, and they became widely known as a food product.
❧ The most expensive potato in the world is the LaBonnotte variety, which is grown on the island of Noirmoutier. Its yield is only 100 tons per year. The tuber is extremely delicate, so it is harvested only by hand.
In Russia potatoes arrived thanks to Peter I. At the end of the 17th century. he sent a bag of potato tubers from Holland and ordered them to be distributed throughout the provinces so that it could be grown there. Potatoes became widespread only under Catherine II.
The peasants did not know how to properly grow and eat potatoes. Due to many poisonings, he was considered poisonous plant. As a result, peasants refused to plant this crop, and this became the cause of several “potato riots.” By royal decree in 1840-1842. Mass planting of potatoes was carried out throughout the country. Its cultivation was under strict control. As a result, by the end of the 19th century. Potato plantings began to occupy large areas. It was called “second bread” as it became one of the staple foods.
❧ There is a museum dedicated to potatoes in Belgium. There you can find many exhibits depicting this plant - these include postage stamps and paintings famous artists, for example “The Potato Eaters” by Van Gogh.
Useful properties of potatoes
Potatoes contain a large number of potassium, which helps remove salt and excess water from the body. Due to this, potatoes are often used in dietary nutrition. But it is worth considering that potatoes contain a high amount of carbohydrates, so people who are prone to obesity should not get carried away with them. Potato - indispensable assistant in the fight against gastritis, peptic ulcers stomach and duodenum, it has an alkalizing effect, which is undeniably important for people suffering from high acidity. In addition to starch, potatoes contain ascorbic acid, various vitamins and proteins.
Where did potatoes come to Europe and when? and got the best answer
Answer from Simply))[guru]
Potatoes are one of America's main gifts to the Old World during the Age of Discovery. As British historians describe, the ship with the first tubers, having completed the transatlantic journey, arrived on the shores of Great Britain on December 3, 1586. Potatoes were brought from what is now Columbia by Sir Thomas Harriet. After this, the already unknown vegetable began its journey across the continent and different parts Sveta. Over the past centuries it has gained such a strong position in kitchens different countries, which received the status of a “national” dish.
Some historians argue that potatoes could have appeared in Europe several years earlier. There is even a version that potatoes came to Europe thanks to the famous pirate Francis Drake, who brought them in 1580. However, there is no exact date other than December 3, 1586. Although another date is connected with the history of potatoes: in 1533, the Spaniard Chesa de Leon, who described the tubers in the book “Chronicles of Peru”.
Source: Internet
Answer from 2 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Where did potatoes come to Europe and when?
Answer from Baby[guru]
From America!
Answer from Sourire[guru]
The homeland of potatoes is South America. Potatoes were grown across a vast area of the central plateau of the Andes, from the ancient city of Cusco to Lake Titicaca. According to the American botanist D. Jugent, the indigenous people of Peru first began cultivating potatoes 12 thousand years ago. The scientist came to such conclusions based on studying the remains of potatoes discovered during excavations by archaeologists of ancient settlements of Peruvian Indians.
The Indians consumed potatoes as food in the form of chunyo - a kind of “canned food”. Chuno was prepared this way: potato tubers were repeatedly frozen at night and dried in the sun during the day - dried tubers were obtained. The Chuno product could be stored for 3-4 years. In our country, food made from chuño would hardly have caused delight, but in the life of the Indians this product played a paramount role. It is not surprising that the Indians deified the potato, worshiped its spirits, organized magnificent celebrations in its honor, and made human sacrifices as gifts. Celebrating the harvest festival, the Indians of Ecuador sacrificed 100 children. When Europeans first attended this festival, the ritual of sacrifice was no longer so cruel and monstrous; Only a lamb was sacrificed and its blood was sprinkled on the potatoes, and children, smartly dressed for the occasion, only carried potato tubers in baskets.
The first Europeans to see potatoes were the sailors of H. Columbus. This is how Columbus’s first biographer wrote about potatoes: “Colon (i.e. Columbus) discovered one island Hispaniola (Haiti), whose inhabitants eat special root bread. On a small bush grow tubers the size of a pear or a small pumpkin; when they are ripe, they are dug out of the ground in the same way as we do with turnips or radishes, dried in the sun, chopped, ground into flour and baked from it into bread...”
I saw potatoes in Peru and the conquistador Francisco Pissaro and his thugs, but they were not at all interested in the inconspicuous plant, the Inca gold was on their minds. But it aroused the interest of a 13-year-old boy, Pedro Chiesa de Leon, who was in a detachment of conquistadors and did not care about gold: he was amazed by the life of the people of Peru. In 1553, Pedro Chiesa de Leon published the book “Chronicle of Peru” in Spain, where he introduced Europeans to the amazing country and its inhabitants. From the same book, Europeans learned about the existence of potatoes.
Potatoes became known in Europe around 1565, and it has not yet been established exactly who first introduced them. It is most likely that the Spanish conquistadors brought it to Europe: along with the looted wealth of the New World, they brought strange animals and plants. There is another version, based on documents: potatoes were first brought to Europe by Francis Drake, the notorious “Queen Elizabeth’s pirate.” Drake was not only an unsurpassed master of sea robbery, but also made important geographical discoveries and was fond of collecting the flora and fauna of America.
As an overseas curiosity, potatoes were first planted in botanical gardens. Systematic botanists found themselves in a difficult situation: how to classify a plant, what genus to classify it into. To begin with, the foreign plant was given the Indian name “papa” (that’s what the Peruvian Indians called potatoes). Then, due to its similarity to sweet potatoes in forming underground tubers, English botanists named it sweet potato (potato in English). Only in 1590, the Swiss botanist Bouchen, based on the structure of the flower and fruit, came to the conclusion that the overseas plant was closely related to plants of the nightshade genus, well known to botanists. Bowchen gave the name to a plant from America - Solyanum tuberosum esculentum, which means edible tuberous nightshade. Subsequently, this specific name for the plant was finally assigned to C. Linnaeus. The British still had the previous name for potatoes - potato, but they had to call the real sweet potato sweet potato.
Answer from Kostya Vlasov[guru]
Since time immemorial it has been an annual herbaceous plant from the nightshade family with white or purple flowers, it has gained fame as the first vegetable among the peoples of different countries. Two thousand years ago, the Indians of Peru knew how to cook “chunio” from potatoes, for which the chopped tubers were left in the open air overnight, crushed in the morning, then dried and obtained a kind of canned potato suitable for long-term storage. Potatoes came to Europe many centuries later. It is believed that the famous pirate of the period of Great Geographical Discovery, Vice Admiral Francis Drake, took the mysterious tubers of this wonderful plant from South America, for which later grateful descendants erected a monument to him with the following inscription on the pedestal: “To Sir Francis Drake, who spread potatoes in Europe. 1580 Millions of farmers around the world bless his immortal memory. This is help to the poor, a precious gift from God, alleviating bitter need.”
However, for a long time, Europeans treated potatoes with great distrust and did not dare to eat them, but recognized them only as feed for pigs. The Parisian pharmacist Antoine Parmentier once treated the King of France to boiled potatoes, who liked this dish so much that he began to wear potato flowers on his dress coat, and the queen decorated her hair with them. But simple people“earth” or “devil” apples were still avoided. Then Parmentier attached signs in his garden next to the potato beds asking... do not come close to the plant. The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest, and within a few days all the neighbors of the cunning pharmacist began to plant potatoes in their gardens.
The potato culture did not immediately take root in Russia, since the clergy and Old Believers did their best to prevent the spread of the plant. And in the middle of the last century, a wave of “potato riots” swept through many Russian provinces, when peasants refused to plant “damn” apples, or “unclean fruits of the underworld.”
Nowadays potatoes are valued not only as the first vegetable, from which chefs can prepare more than 300 dishes, but also as medicinal plant. White, red or purple potato tubers are a real chemical laboratory. They contain up to twenty-five percent starch, which has long been used in medical practice as a gentle anti-inflammatory and enveloping agent for gastrointestinal disorders, as well as for the preparation of pharmaceutical tablets. Tubers are rich in fiber, pectin and other carbohydrates, as well as proteins, amino acids, vitamins B, C, PP, carotene, organic acids, especially citric and malic, mineral salts, lipids and other compounds. And the specific “potato” smell of the tubers is due to the presence of essential oil in them.
This vegetable will most likely take second place in terms of prevalence. Africa or America, Europe or Asia - regardless of the continent, people all over the world feast on it. We are so used to it that we no longer consider it something new, much less consider it a delicacy. We are talking about potatoes that have long been known to us. Let's remember the time when it was not yet so widespread, learn about some of the tragedies associated with its loss, and find out why it is still so valued in Russia. However, let's start from where it spread throughout the world. What became the birthplace of potatoes? Is it Europe or another place?
It has long been believed that potatoes came to us from the homeland of potatoes - Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Even today, in our time, in the Andes you can see potatoes growing in the wild. There, at an altitude of more than a kilometer, you can find tubers of almost all known in the world. this moment varieties. According to scientists, in ancient times, Indians in that area could breed and cross varieties of various plants, including potatoes. The very first information about potatoes came from a Spaniard, a participant in the military campaign of Julian de Castellanos in 1535. According to him, even the Spaniards liked the mealy root vegetable of this plant. True, few people paid attention to his words. This is how we can briefly describe how the history of the origin of potatoes (its distribution) began.
How did the culture get to Europe?
We find the following description of potatoes in the Chronicle of Peru by Pedro Chiesa de Leone. He described this plant in great detail and clearly. The history of the appearance of potatoes interested the King of Spain, who gave the order to bring a huge amount of this overseas product. Thus, thanks to Spain, the birthplace of potatoes - South America - supplied all of Europe with this vegetable. First he came to Italy, and later to Belgium. After which the mayor of Mons (Belgium) gave several tubers for research to his friend and acquaintance in Vienna. And only his friend, also a botanist, described potatoes in detail in his work “On Plants”. Thanks to him, potatoes have their own scientific name- Solyanum tuberosum esculentum (tuberous nightshade). Over time, his description of potatoes and the very name of the garden crop became generally accepted.
In Ireland
The time had come for Ireland, and in the 1590s the potato arrived there. There he gained universal recognition due to the fact that he took root well even in relatively unfavorable conditions. Regardless of the climate, wet or dry, mild or changeable, regardless of whether the tubers were planted in fertile or infertile soil, potatoes bore fruit. Therefore, it spread so much that in the 1950s at least a third of the entire area suitable for agriculture was planted with potato crops. More than half of the harvest was used as food for people. Thus, potatoes began to be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything would be fine, but what if there was a crop failure? What would the Irish eat in this case? They didn't want to think about it.
Consequences of crop failures
If in the past it happened that the potatoes did not bring the expected harvest, then some efforts were made to provide the necessary assistance to the victims. And if the next year it was again possible to collect the required amount of root crops, this covered the shortcomings of the previous period. So, in 1845 there was another crop failure. However, no one was concerned about the reasons for what happened. It must be said that at that time they still did not know much about late blight - because of which it was not possible to collect the required amount of vegetables. A fungus that attacks tubers leads to potato rotting both in the ground and even after harvesting from the fields. In addition, fungal spores of the disease are easily spread by airborne droplets. And due to the fact that only one variety of potatoes was planted in Ireland at that time, the entire crop quickly died. The same thing happened in the next few years, which led first to unemployment and then to famine in the country. This indirectly influenced the cholera outbreak, which in 1849 killed more than 36 thousand people. The history of potatoes with such an unfavorable turn of events led to the state losing more than a quarter of its population.
Potatoes: history of appearance in Russia
Gradually, the culture spread throughout Europe, as we saw in the example of Ireland, and at the very beginning of the eighteenth century it first appeared in Russia. In those years, Peter I was passing through Holland. There he had the opportunity to taste dishes made from potatoes (at that time, as today, they did not suspect that the birthplace of potatoes was South America). Having tasted the culinary innovation, the Russian sovereign noted the original taste of potato fruits. Since this delicacy was not yet available in Russia, he decided to send a bag of potatoes to his homeland. This is how the history of potatoes in Russia began.
In chernozem, as well as in soils of medium acidity new culture settled in well. However, ordinary people still looked at this miracle vegetable with caution, because due to ignorance the right ways During its preparation, numerous cases of poisoning occurred. How can we ensure that the distribution of potatoes is widespread? Peter I was a smart man and figured out what could be done for this. Tubers were planted in several fields, and guards were posted nearby, who served during the day but left the fields at night. This aroused great curiosity among ordinary peasants, and they began to steal a new vegetable at night, while no one was looking, and plant it in their fields. However, it still did not become widespread at that time. There were many who “managed” to poison themselves with its berries. Therefore, mostly ordinary people refused to grow the “damn apple”. For as long as 50-60 years, the miracle vegetable was forgotten in Russia.
How did potatoes become famous?
Later, Catherine II played a big role in making potatoes universally accepted. However, the main impetus for the spread of root vegetables was the famine that occurred in the 1860s. It was then that we remembered everything that we had previously neglected, and were surprised to discover that potatoes have an excellent taste and are very nutritious. As they say, “there would be no happiness, but misfortune would help.”
Like this interesting story potatoes in Russia. So, over time, they began to plant throughout the country. People soon realized how useful a supply of this vegetable was, especially during times of crop failure. Until now, potatoes are considered the second bread, since, with sufficient supplies in the cellar, you can survive even in difficult times. Due to their calorie content and benefits, to this day the first thing planted in the garden is potato tubers.
Why are potatoes so popular in Russia?
Since the time of Peter I, people did not immediately learn about the chemical and nutritional value of this root vegetable for the human body. However, the history of potatoes shows that they contain substances necessary for survival in periods of famine, disease and misfortune. What is so valuable and useful in this ordinary root vegetable? It turns out that its proteins contain almost all the amino acids that we could find in plant foods. Three hundred grams of this vegetable is enough to meet the daily requirement of potassium, phosphorus and carbohydrates. Potatoes, especially fresh ones, are rich in vitamin C and fiber. Moreover, it also contains other elements necessary for life, such as iron, zinc, manganese, iodine, sodium and even calcium. And most of all useful substances It is contained precisely in potato peels, which today are very often not eaten. However, in times of famine, ordinary people did not neglect it and ate potatoes whole, baked or boiled.
Growing the only one and the consequences of it
As we have already learned, the birthplace of potatoes is South America. There, farmers acted wisely by growing root crops different varieties. So, only some of them were susceptible to the disease - fungal late blight. Therefore, even if such varieties died, this would not lead to such terrible disasters as in Ireland. The fact that in nature there are varieties of the same culture protects people from this kind of misfortune. However, if you grow only one variety of fruit, this can lead to what happened in Ireland. As well as the use of various chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which have a particularly adverse effect on natural cycles and the environment as a whole.
What are the benefits of growing only one variety of potato?
What, in this case, including in Russia, encourages farmers to grow only one specific variety of potato? This is mainly influenced by marketability and economic factors. Thus, farmers can bet on beautiful view fruits, which means greater demand among buyers. Also, the emergence of a standard crop can be explained by the fact that a certain variety of potatoes brings in a particular area bigger harvest, than others. However, as we have learned, this approach can have far-reaching adverse consequences.
The Colorado potato beetle is the main enemy of Russian gardeners
Insect pests can cause enormous damage to crops. Every gardener or farmer is very familiar with one type of leaf beetle - it was first discovered in 1859 how many difficulties this insect can bring to potato cultivation. And in the 1900s, the beetle reached Europe. When it was brought here by chance, it quickly covered the entire continent, including Russia. Due to its resistance to chemicals, which are used to combat it, this beetle is almost the main enemy of every gardener. Therefore, in order to get rid of this pest, in addition to chemicals, they began to use agricultural methods. And now in Russia, every summer resident who wants to enjoy home-fried or baked potatoes in the coals of a fire first has to become familiar with simple methods of combating this pest.
Where did he come from? How and when did it become an essential food product?
The potatoes, one might say, were opened three times.
The first discovery in time immemorial was made by the Indians, the second in the 16th century by the Spaniards, and the third by Russian scientists in the 20s of the current century.First, a few words about the “third discovery”. Studying the plant resources of the globe, Academician N.I. Vavilov suggested that in Latin America there should be a huge natural “breeding warehouse” of potatoes. On his initiative, an expedition consisting of SM scientists was sent there in 1925. Bukasov and S.V. Yuzenchuk (do not forget what a difficult time it was for our country). The two of them visited Mexico, and then went their separate ways: Bukasov to Guatemala and Colombia, and Yuzenchuk to Peru, Bolivia and Chile. In these countries, they studied and described the types of potatoes growing there.
And the result is an unusual botanical and breeding discovery. Before this, Europeans knew only one species of this plant - Solyanum tuberosum, and two Russian scientists found and described in America more than 60 wild and 20 cultivated species of potatoes that fed the Indians for many centuries. Among the species they discovered, there were many interesting for breeding for resistance against dangerous potato diseases - late blight, cancer and others; cold-resistant, early ripening, etc.
Following in the footsteps of the Soviet “pioneers”, numerous, well-equipped expeditions from the USA, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and England rushed to South America. Experts from Peru, Uruguay, and Chile began to search and find new types and varieties of potatoes in their mountains.
Breeders of all developed countries They are now using a “gold mine” discovered by scientists from Leningrad.
The ancient Indians of South America, even before the advent of agriculture, used, as archaeologists have established, tubers of wild potatoes for food, probably digging them up in areas of continuous thickets. Unwittingly loosening the soil at the same time, people could notice that potatoes grow better in such soil and their tubers are larger. They probably noticed that new plants grow from both old tubers and seeds. From here it was not difficult to come to the idea of \u200b\u200bthe possibility of growing this plant near their sites. So they began to do so. Scientists believe that this happened in the mountainous regions of South America 2 or even more thousand years BC.
Wild forms of potatoes had small tubers with varying degrees of bitterness. Naturally, among them people chose plants with larger and less bitter tubers. Cultivated areas near settlements were unknowingly fertilized with household waste. Selection of the best species from wild ones and cultivation in loosened and fertilized soil led to an increase in the quality of tubers.
A major expert on the history of potatoes, V.S. Lekhnovich, believes that two centers for potato cultivation arose in America. One is on the coast of Chile with adjacent islands and the other is in the mountainous regions of the Andes, in the territory of modern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and northwestern Argentina.
Before using tubers for food, the Indians of the mountainous regions use special methods of processing them to remove the bitterness: lay them out on open place, where the tubers freeze at night, thaw and dry out during the day (in mountainous conditions, as is known, cold nights give way to sunny, windy days). After standing for a certain period of time, they are trampled on to squeeze out the moisture, while the skin is peeled off from them. Then the tubers are thoroughly washed in running water mountain streams and finally dry them. Potatoes prepared in this way, the so-called “chuño,” no longer have any bitterness. It can be stored for a long time. “Chunyo” often saved the Indians from starvation and also served as an object of exchange with the inhabitants of the lowlands.
Potatoes were a staple food among the Indians of many South American tribes. Even before our era, highly developed Indian civilizations existed in the Andes, which created cultivated varieties of a number of plants, including potatoes. Subsequently, the great Inca Empire inherited from them farming techniques and a range of crops.
The first recorded acquaintance of Europeans with the potato plant occurred in 1535. This year, Julian de Castellanos, a member of the Spanish military expedition of Gonzalo de Quesado to South America, wrote about potatoes he saw in Colombia that the mealy roots of this plant have a pleasant taste, “a tasty dish even for the Spaniards.”
But this statement by Castellanos remained unknown for a long time. In Europe, they first learned about potatoes in 1533 from the book “Chronicle of Peru” by Sies de Lion, which he wrote after returning to Spain from Peru, saying, in particular, that the Indians call raw tubers “papa,” and dried ones “chuño.” Due to the external similarity of the tubers with previously known truffles, which form tuberous fruits in the ground, they were given the same name. In 1551, the Spaniard Valdivius reported to Emperor Charles about the presence of potatoes in Chile. Around 1565, potato tubers were brought to Spain and at the same time the Spanish king presented them to the sick Pope Pius IV, since potatoes were considered medicinal. From Spain, potatoes spread to Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Poland and other European countries. The British brought potatoes to themselves independently of the Spaniards.
Semi-legendary versions about the introduction of potatoes in European countries have spread.
In Germany, the cruel Prussian king Frederick William I at the beginning of the 18th century proclaimed the cultivation of potatoes as a national duty of the Germans and forced them to plant them with the help of dragoons. Here is how the German agronomist Ernst Duchek wrote about this: “... severe punishment was threatened for those who resisted, and sometimes it was necessary to threaten with cruel punishments, for example, cutting off noses and ears.” Other German authors also testified to similar cruel measures.
The history of the introduction of potatoes in France is particularly interesting. He was recognized there at the beginning of the 17th century. In Paris, potatoes appeared on the royal table in 1616. In 1630, an attempt was made to introduce this plant, encouraged by royalty. However, potatoes did not take root, perhaps because they did not yet know how to properly prepare dishes from their tubers, and doctors assured that they were poisonous and caused diseases. Changes came only after military pharmacist-chemist Antoine Parmentier intervened. While participating in the Seven Years' War, he was captured by the Germans. In Germany, Parmentier ate potatoes and during this time highly appreciated their merits. Returning to his homeland, he became a passionate promoter of this culture. Are potatoes considered poisonous? Parmentier organizes a dinner to which he invites the luminaries of science - the chemist Antoine Lavoisier and the Democratic politician Benjamin Franklin and treats them to potato dishes. Famous guests recognized good quality food, but for some reason they only expressed fear that potatoes would spoil the soil.
Parmentier understood that nothing could be achieved by force and, knowing the shortcomings of his compatriots, he resorted to cunning. He asked King Louis XVI to give him a plot of land near Paris and, when necessary, to provide guards. The king responded favorably to the pharmacist's request, and he received 50 mortuaries of land. In 1787, Parmentier planted potatoes on it. It was solemnly announced to the sound of trumpets that any Frenchman who decided to steal a new precious plant would be subjected to severe punishment and even execution. When the potatoes began to ripen, during the day they were guarded by numerous armed guards, who, however, were taken to the barracks in the evening.
Parmentier's idea was a complete success. The intensely protected plants aroused the burning interest of Parisians. The brave souls began to steal the tubers at night and then plant them in their gardens.
In addition, Parmentier used, as they would say today, a publicity stunt. During one of the royal receptions, he brought potato flowers to the palace of Louis XVI and persuaded him to pin them on his chest, and the queen to decorate her hair with them. The king, in addition, ordered that potatoes be served to him for dinner. The courtiers naturally followed his example. There was a great demand for flowers and potato tubers, and peasants began to quickly expand their plantings. Soon this culture spread throughout the country. The French understood and recognized her valuable qualities. And in the lean year of 1793, potatoes saved many from starvation.
Grateful descendants erected two monuments to Parmentier: near Paris, on the site where that very “protected” site was, and in his homeland, in the city of Montdidier. On the pedestal of the second monument there is an inscription - “To the Benefactor of Humanity” and the words spoken by Louis XVI are carved: “Believe me, the time will come when France will thank you for giving bread to starving humanity.”
This interesting version of the merits of Antoine Parmentier in introducing potatoes is widespread in the literature. However, it was questioned by Academician P. M. Zhukovsky. In his major work " Cultivated plants and their relatives,” he wrote: “Only at the end of the 18th century, when the later famous Vilmorin firm arose, were potatoes taken for propagation by this firm. The mistake that made Parmentier the alleged pioneer of potato culture must be corrected. Roger de Vilmorin (botanist, foreign member of the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences - S.S.) has an irrefutable document on the priority of potato distribution.” It is quite possible that Academician P. M. Zhukovsky is right; however, it seems that Parmentier’s services in spreading this culture should also not be forgotten.
In his work “The Past and Thoughts” A.I. Herzen describes another version of the introduction of potatoes in France: “... the famous Turgot (Anne Robert Jacques Turgot - 1727-1781 - French statesman, educational philosopher and economist. - S.S ), seeing the hatred of the French for potatoes, sent potatoes to all farmers and other subordinates for sowing, strictly forbidding them to give to the peasants. At the same time, he secretly told them not to prevent the peasants from stealing potatoes for sowing. In a few years, part of France was covered with potatoes.”
The initial introduction of this wonderful plant to England is usually associated with the name of the English navigator, vice-admiral (at the same time a pirate) - Francis Drake. In 1584, on the site of the current US state of North Carolina, the English navigator, organizer of pirate expeditions, poet and historian Walter Raleigh founded a colony, calling it Virginia. In 1585, F. Drake, returning from South America, visited those places. The colonists greeted him with complaints about their hard life and asked him to take them back to England, which Drake did. They allegedly brought potato tubers to England.
However, academician P. M. Zhukovsky, in the work mentioned above, rejected the version of Drake’s import of potatoes. He wrote: “Many literary sources attribute to the English admiral Drake, who made a round-the-world voyage in 1587... the independent introduction of potatoes to England; the reintroduction into England is attributed to Coverdish, who repeated Drake's voyage.
It is highly doubtful, however, that these sailors could keep the tubers healthy and unsprouted during the many months of travel in the tropical latitudes of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Most likely, potatoes came to England and especially Ireland from other sources.”
But trip around the world Drake committed in 1577-1580, and he took colonists from Virginia, located on the east coast North America, in 1585. It is quite obvious that this was already another Drake voyage to America, and he returned from there to England directly across the Atlantic Ocean. This flight was incomparably shorter and completed much faster than the trip around the world in 1577-1580.
All this does not at all exclude the possibility of importing potatoes to England through other routes. It is possible that it was brought there by unknown English pirates, who in those days often robbed Spanish ships returning from America. Or maybe the British brought potatoes from the European continent, where they had already become widespread.
By the way, a number of books about potatoes often give an interesting semi-legendary version that it was Drake who showed the British an example of growing potatoes.
Here, for example, is what he writes about this in his book “Description of Potatoes with a Detailed Account of its History, different breeds and methods of cultivation and use on the farm” German author K.E. Putsch: “Drake (Drake. - S.S), wanting to grow potatoes in England, not only delivered several seed cones to the famous English botanist Jon Gerard, he also gave them to his gardener some of them with such an order that this precious fruit be planted in his garden in fertile soil and have careful supervision over it. This assignment aroused such curiosity in the gardener that he looked after it very diligently. Soon the potato plant sprouted, blossomed and brought a lot of green seed blocks, which the gardener, honoring the plant’s own fruit and seeing that it was already ripe, picked it and tasted it, but finding it unpleasant, threw it away, saying with annoyance: “All my labors.” wasted in vain over such a useless plant.” He brought several of these apples to the admiral and said mockingly: “This is the vaunted precious fruit from America.”
The admiral answered with hidden indignation: “Yes, but if this plant is unsuitable, then pull it out now, along with the roots, so that it does not cause any harm in the garden.” The gardener carried out the order and, to his surprise, found under each bush many potatoes exactly the same as those he had planted in the spring. Immediately, by order of the admiral, the potatoes were boiled and given to the gardener to taste. "A! - he cried in surprise. “No, it’s a shame to destroy such a precious plant!” And after that I tried my best to deceive him.
It is assumed that Drake gave a certain number of tubers to the English botanist John Gerard, who, in turn, in 1589 sent several tubers to his friend, the naturalist botanist Charles Clusius, who at that time was in charge of the botanical garden in Vienna. According to another version, in the same year, Clusius was given two tubers and a potato berry by the mayor of the small Belgian town of Mons, Philippe de Sivry. It can be assumed that one does not exclude the other. Clusius was at one time an outstanding botanist, and it is known that it was with his participation that the wide distribution of this plant in Europe began.
At first, potatoes in England were considered only a delicacy and were sold at an expensive price. Only in the middle of the 18th century did it begin to be grown over large areas, becoming a common food crop. It especially took root in Ireland, which at that time was a colony of England. For most Irish people, potatoes became a staple food earlier than for the British. It was eaten with herring, or even just with salt - for many Irish families, even herring was too expensive a delicacy.
In different countries, potatoes were called differently. In Spain - “papa”, having adopted this word from the Indians, in Italy - for the similarity of the tubers with truffle mushrooms - “tartuffoli” (hence - “potato”). The British called it “Irish yam” in contrast to the real “sweet yam”, the French called it “pomme de terre” - earthen apple. In various other languages - “poteitos”, “potates”, “putatis”.
The first scientific botanical descriptions of potatoes were made by botanists John Gerard in England in 1596 and 1597, Charles Clusius in Flanders in 1601, and Caspar Baugin in Switzerland in 1596, 1598, 1620. The latter in 1596 gave the potato a botanical Latin name, which was later recognized internationally - Solyanum tuberosum esculentum - edible tuberous nightshade.
Potatoes came to Russia more than a century after their first import to Spain.
A written message about the import of potatoes to Russia appeared in the “Proceedings of the Free Economic Society” in 1852. An untitled review of the book “Potatoes in Agriculture and Manufacturing,” published in 1851, said: “It should be noted that even the Great Peter sent a bag of potatoes from Rotterdam to Sheremetev and ordered the potatoes to be sent to different regions of Russia, to local commanders, charging them with the duty to invite the Russians to start breeding it; and at the table of Prince Biron during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740), potatoes often appeared as tasty, but not at all as a rare and tasty dish.”
It is assumed that the said review was written by Professor of St. Petersburg University S. M. Usov, a well-known figure in the field at that time Agriculture. Judging by the text, the author knew perfectly well all the dates of the introduction of this culture into European countries and, obviously, should have known the episode described. Since then, this version of the first appearance of potatoes in Russia has been repeated in many articles and books devoted to this culture, and was included in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, that is, it became generally accepted.
However, it is by no means impossible that the way of bringing potatoes to Russia with the assistance of Peter was not the only one.
One way or another, it is known that potatoes were grown in the Aptekarsky garden in St. Petersburg in 1736. Under the name “tartufel” it was served in very small quantities at court ceremonial dinners in the early 40s. So, for the banquet on June 23, 1741, half a pound was allotted to the “tartuffel”; August 12 of the same year - a pound and a quarter; officers of the Semenovsky regiment for a festive dinner - a quarter of a pound (one hundred grams!). Don't believe it? But this is from the reports of the palace office.
It is likely that at the same time or even earlier, potatoes appeared on the tables of the St. Petersburg aristocracy. It is possible that for court banquets it was obtained from the Aptekarsky garden, and for the tables of the aristocracy it was grown in gardens near St. Petersburg or imported from the Baltic states, where at that time there was already developed potato growing.
It is documented that in 1676, Duke of Courland Jacob ordered one loaf (about 50 kilograms) of potatoes from Hamburg to the capital of Courland, Mitava (modern Jelgava in the Latvian SSR). It can be assumed that these potatoes were then grown in those parts.
The famous Russian agronomist, scientist and writer A. T. Bolotov participated in the actions of the Russian army in East Prussia during the Seven Years' War (1756 - 1762). In the magazine “Economic Store” in 1787, he reported that in Prussia the participants in the campaign became acquainted with potatoes and, returning, many took its tubers to their homeland. He wrote: “In Russia, before the last Prussian War, this fruit (potatoes - S.S.) was almost completely unknown; upon the return of the troops, who were accustomed to eating it in the Prussian and Brandenburg countries, it soon appeared in different places and began to become famous, but now he is everywhere, but even in the most remote regions, such as, for example, in Kamchatka itself, he is not unknown.”
However, in general, until 1765, this crop in Russia was grown on insignificant areas by gardeners in cities and on landowners' estates. The peasants hardly knew him.
It so happened that the initiator of the mass introduction of potatoes was the Medical College (colleges are central institutions of the 18th century that were in charge of individual industries, later transformed into ministries). In his report to the Senate (the highest body for legislation and government controlled in Russia from 1711 to 1717) this institution reported that in the Vyborg province, due to the shortage of grain, peasants often go hungry and on this basis a “pestilence” could arise, and recommended the Senate to take measures to breed “earth apples” in our country, “ which in England are called potetes.” We must pay tribute to Empress Catherine II - she supported this proposal. As a result of January 19, 1765, the first Decree on the introduction of potatoes was issued. At the same time, 500 rubles were allocated for the purchase of potato seeds and the Medical College was asked to purchase potatoes and scatter them throughout the country, which they did.
In the same 1765, at the direction of the Senate, the Medical College developed an “Instruction” on growing potatoes, printed in the Senate printing house in the amount of ten thousand copies and sent with the Decree to all provinces. “The manual was a relatively competent agrotechnical and economic instruction, which spoke about the time of planting tubers, “about preparing the land,” “about cleansing ridges and arable land,” “about the time of removing apples from the ground and preserving them in winter,” and further about different types using potatoes.
In December 1765, a similar “Instruction” on the storage of tubers was sent out. These first Russian printed manuals played a big role in the development of potato growing.
In the fall of 1765, the Medical College purchased potatoes from England and Germany. In total, 464 poods 33 pounds were brought to St. Petersburg. From the capital he was sent by sleigh convoys to 15 provinces - from St. Petersburg to Astrakhan and Irkutsk. However, during transportation, despite the careful insulation of barrels with potatoes with hay and straw, a significant part of the tubers being sent froze. Nevertheless, the Senate again allocated 500 rubles to the Medical College for the purchase of seed potatoes the following year, 1766. From these purchases, potatoes have already been sent to such distant cities as Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Okhotsk, and Kamchatka.
The distributed tubers were successfully propagated in many places.
The report of the St. Petersburg provincial chancellery, presented to the Senate, on the results of potato propagation in this province in 1765 is interesting. It shows that Catherine’s nobles also took up potato cultivation: Razumovsky, Hannibal, Vorontsov, Bruce and others.
In total, from 1765 to 1767, the Governing Senate considered issues related to the introduction of potatoes 23 times, and from then on this crop began to be intensively distributed in Russia.
The activities of the Free Economic Society had a great influence on the development of potato growing. Almost every issue of his “Proceedings” contained articles about potatoes, gave agronomic advice on their cultivation, and summarized the results. The society was also involved in the distribution of seed potatoes.
The Free Economic Society, in essence, soon became the main organization that took upon itself exceptionally great care in introducing the “second bread”.
The most active member of the Society, A. T. Bolotov, made a great contribution to this matter. In 1787 alone, he published five articles about potatoes, and his first article about them appeared in 1770 - 17 years earlier than Parmentier began his activities in distributing potatoes in France.
In an article by a certain F. Eastis, “The History of Potato Breeding in Russia,” published in the magazine of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 1848, we read: “... the Novgorod region was especially distinguished, owing to these efforts of an active member of the Free Economic Society - the governor, Major General von Sievers. In 1765, by decree of the Empress, four quadrangles of reddish and oblong potatoes were delivered to this province for cultivation; half of this amount was used for sowing for the city, the other for the counties. From those planted in the city, 172 chetveriks were born (Russian measure of volume - chetverik is equal to 26.24 liters. - S.S.).”
Sivere ordered two more varieties of white and reddish potatoes from Livonia (southern Baltic states). According to him, “In 1775, potatoes began to come into use among peasants, who ate them either boiled as a special dish or mixed with cabbage soup.”
“Regarding Moscow and its environs,” wrote F. Eastis, “the merits of Roger, who was in charge of the manor of State Chancellor Count Rumyantsev there; its actions take place between 1800 and 1815. He invited the peasants under his jurisdiction and distributed it to them for this purpose from the very beginning of his administration; but the peasants, due to prejudice against this fruit, did not immediately follow the invitation; when they were subsequently convinced of the good taste and benefits of potatoes, then, instead of honestly and openly asking for them from the manager, they began, driven by shame, to steal them from the master’s fields on the sly. Having learned that the peasants used stolen potatoes not for food, but for sowing, Roger again began to distribute to them annually a significant part of his own harvest, which greatly contributed to the introduction and distribution of potatoes throughout the Moscow province.”
With the help of the Free Economic Society, the talented breeder-nugget, St. Petersburg gardener and seed grower E. A. Grachev, launched his activities. He demonstrated the varieties of corn and potatoes he developed at world exhibitions in Vienna, Cologne, and Philadelphia. For the development of vegetable growing, he was awarded ten gold and forty silver medals, and was elected a member of the Paris Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Grachev brought dozens of different varieties potatoes. On his plot near St. Petersburg, he planted and comprehensively tested more than two hundred varieties. He intensively propagated and distributed the best of them throughout Russia. The history of the Early Rose variety is interesting. Grachev managed to acquire only two tubers of this American variety. Thanks to the tireless work of the gardener, they laid the foundation for the unprecedented cultivation of the Early Rose in Russia, which remained in the crops until the fifties of the 20th century. Somewhere in Central Asia and it is still grown in Ukraine. To date, over twenty synonyms of the Early Rose variety have appeared: Early Pink, American, Skorospelka, Skorobezhka, Belotsvetka and others.
But Grachev was not only engaged in the acquisition, reproduction and distribution of tubers. He himself bred about twenty varieties from seeds by cross-pollination of flowers, some of which at one time had significant distribution. They differed in the color of the tubers - white, red, yellow, pink, purple, in shape - round, long, cone-shaped, smooth and with deep eyes, and in resistance to fungal diseases. The names of most of these varieties are associated with the name of Grachev: Grachev's Trophy, Grachev's Triumph, Grachev's Rarity, Grachev's light pink, etc. But the following are also known: Suvorov, Progress, Professor A.F. Batalia and others. After the death of Efim Andreevich, his business was continued for some time by his son V. E. Grachev. In 1881, at the exhibition of the Free Economic Society, he demonstrated 93 varieties of potatoes.
Among the varieties imported from abroad and propagated by Grachev, as well as those bred by him, food varieties were famous and were significantly widespread - Early Rose, Peach colour, Snowflake, Vermont Early and Starch Distilleries (27-33 percent) - Purple Flower Alcohol, White Flower Alcohol, Light Pink, Efilos.
Government and public events were doing their job: the area under potato planting in Russia was steadily expanding.
However, things did not go smoothly everywhere. The Old Believers, of whom there were many in Russia, opposed planting and eating potatoes. They called it “the devil’s apple,” “the devil’s spit,” and “the fruit of harlots.” Their preachers forbade their fellow believers to grow and eat potatoes. The confrontation between the Old Believers was long and stubborn. Back in 1870, there were villages near Moscow where peasants did not plant potatoes in their fields.
History includes mass unrest among peasants called “potato riots.” These unrest lasted from 1840 to 1844 and covered the Perm, Orenburg, Vyatka, Kazan and Saratov provinces.
The “revolts” were preceded by a large shortage of grain in 1839, which covered all areas of the black earth strip. In 1840, information began to arrive in St. Petersburg that winter crop seedlings had died almost everywhere, famine had begun, crowds of people were walking along the roads, robbing passers-by and attacking landowners, demanding bread. Then the government of Nicholas I decided to expand potato planting without fail. The issued decree ordered: “... to begin growing potatoes in all villages that have public arable land. Where there is no public arable land, potato planting should be done under the authority of the Volost Board, albeit on one dessiatine.” It was envisaged that potatoes would be distributed freely or at low prices to peasants for planting. Along with this, an unquestioning demand was put forward to plant potatoes in order to obtain 4 measures per capita from the harvest.
It would seem that the event itself was good, but, as often happened during the reign of Nicholas I, it was accompanied by violence against the peasants. Ultimately, the riots against serfdom generally merged with indignation against the harsh introduction of potatoes. It is characteristic that this movement did not capture all the peasants, but mainly the appanages. It was their rights that were most infringed upon by the “reforms” of Nicholas I in the late thirties of the 19th century, and it was they who were subject to new duties. At the same time, an order was given to state peasants to grow potatoes on plots in the volosts free of charge. This was perceived by the state peasants as turning them into serfdom from the Minister of Agriculture, Count Kiselyov. Therefore, it was not the potato itself, but the administrative measures of tsarist officials to expand its plantings, associated with oppression and abuse, that caused the riots. It is possible that the situation was heated by rumors started by someone about the introduction of a “new faith.” It is significant that the main areas covered by the “potato riots” were located exactly where there had previously been a peasant uprising led by Pugachev.
Peasant uprisings suffered defeats everywhere.
For a long time, turnips were another staple food for the common people in Russia. But gradually interest in potatoes increased.
The area under potato planting began to grow especially quickly after the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Russia's entry into the era of capitalist relations entailed the development of industry, including the branch that processed tubers. One after another, starch and distillery enterprises began to be built - and soon there were already hundreds of them. Landowners, factory owners and individual peasants began to grow potatoes in their fields. In 1865, the area occupied by this crop amounted to 655 thousand hectares, in 1881 they exceeded 1.5 million hectares, in 1900 they reached 2.7, and in 1913 - 4.2 million hectares.
Potato yields, however, remained low. Thus, the average yield in the country for 1895-1915 was only 59 centners per hectare.
Before the revolution in Russia, experimental work with potatoes was insignificant: experimental fields were maintained mainly at the expense of private individuals, research was carried out by single amateurs. Only in 1918-1920 did specialized institutions begin to be created: the Kostroma Experimental Field, Butylitskoye (Vladimir Region), the Polushkinskoye Sand and Potato Experimental Field and the Korenevskaya Potato Experimental Breeding Station (Moscow Region).
Hero of Socialist Labor Alexander Georgievich Lorch (1889-1980) is rightfully considered the founder and organizer of selection and seed production work on potatoes. On his initiative, the Korenev Experimental Station was created, reorganized in 1930 into the Research Institute of Potato Farming, of which he remained the scientific director for a long time. A.G. Lorch created the first Soviet potato varieties - Korenevsky and Lorch. The latter can rightfully be considered the pride of Soviet selection. He's different high yield, good taste qualities, keeping quality and plasticity. It has supplanted most foreign varieties and, until recently, had no equal in popularity throughout the world. In 1942, this variety produced a world record harvest on the Krasny Perekop collective farm in the Mariinsky district of the Kemerovo region - 1,331 centners per hectare.
Fundamental research on taxonomy, selection, genetics, seed production and agricultural technology of potatoes was carried out by a prominent biologist, academician of the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hero of Socialist Labor Sergei Mikhailovich Bukasov. He developed cancer-resistant varieties of this plant.
The founder of potato breeding work in Belarus, Hero of Socialist Labor, academician of the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and academician of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, Petr Ivanovich Alsmik, is the author of the famous varieties - Loshitsky, Temp, Razvaristy, Belarusian starchy, Verba.
In 1986, the average potato yield in the USSR was 137 centners per hectare. But this is still lower than in some countries, such as the Netherlands, Denmark, England and Switzerland, where the climatic conditions for growing this crop are incomparably better. However, today in our country there are many collective and state farms that receive stable yields of 200-300 centners per hectare.
Currently, potatoes are grown in Europe on an area of about 7 million hectares.
Where did potatoes come to Europe and when? and got the best answer
Answer from Simply))[guru]
Potatoes are one of America's main gifts to the Old World during the Age of Discovery. As British historians describe, the ship with the first tubers, having completed the transatlantic journey, arrived on the shores of Great Britain on December 3, 1586. Potatoes were brought from what is now Columbia by Sir Thomas Harriet. After this, the already unknown vegetable began its journey across the continent and different parts of the world. Over the past centuries, it has gained such a strong position in the cuisines of different countries that it has received the status of a “national” dish.
Some historians argue that potatoes could have appeared in Europe several years earlier. There is even a version that potatoes came to Europe thanks to the famous pirate Francis Drake, who brought them in 1580. However, there is no exact date other than December 3, 1586. Although another date is connected with the history of potatoes: in 1533, the Spaniard Chesa de Leon, who described the tubers in the book “Chronicles of Peru”.
Source: Internet
Answer from 2 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Where did potatoes come to Europe and when?
Answer from Baby[guru]
From America!
Answer from Sourire[guru]
The homeland of potatoes is South America. Potatoes were grown across a vast area of the central plateau of the Andes, from the ancient city of Cusco to Lake Titicaca. According to the American botanist D. Jugent, the indigenous people of Peru first began cultivating potatoes 12 thousand years ago. The scientist came to such conclusions based on studying the remains of potatoes discovered during excavations by archaeologists of ancient settlements of Peruvian Indians.
The Indians consumed potatoes as food in the form of chunyo - a kind of “canned food”. Chuno was prepared this way: potato tubers were repeatedly frozen at night and dried in the sun during the day - dried tubers were obtained. The Chuno product could be stored for 3-4 years. In our country, food made from chuño would hardly have caused delight, but in the life of the Indians this product played a paramount role. It is not surprising that the Indians deified the potato, worshiped its spirits, organized magnificent celebrations in its honor, and made human sacrifices as gifts. Celebrating the harvest festival, the Indians of Ecuador sacrificed 100 children. When Europeans first attended this festival, the ritual of sacrifice was no longer so cruel and monstrous; Only a lamb was sacrificed and its blood was sprinkled on the potatoes, and children, smartly dressed for the occasion, only carried potato tubers in baskets.
The first Europeans to see potatoes were the sailors of H. Columbus. This is how Columbus’s first biographer wrote about potatoes: “Colon (i.e. Columbus) discovered one island Hispaniola (Haiti), whose inhabitants eat special root bread. On a small bush grow tubers the size of a pear or a small pumpkin; when they are ripe, they are dug out of the ground in the same way as we do with turnips or radishes, dried in the sun, chopped, ground into flour and baked from it into bread...”
I saw potatoes in Peru and the conquistador Francisco Pissaro and his thugs, but they were not at all interested in the inconspicuous plant, the Inca gold was on their minds. But it aroused the interest of a 13-year-old boy, Pedro Chiesa de Leon, who was in a detachment of conquistadors and did not care about gold: he was amazed by the life of the people of Peru. In 1553, Pedro Chiesa de Leon published the book “Chronicle of Peru” in Spain, where he introduced Europeans to the amazing country and its inhabitants. From the same book, Europeans learned about the existence of potatoes.
Potatoes became known in Europe around 1565, and it has not yet been established exactly who first introduced them. It is most likely that the Spanish conquistadors brought it to Europe: along with the looted wealth of the New World, they brought strange animals and plants. There is another version, based on documents: potatoes were first brought to Europe by Francis Drake, the notorious “Queen Elizabeth’s pirate.” Drake was not only an unsurpassed master of sea robbery, but also made important geographical discoveries and was fond of collecting the flora and fauna of America.
As an overseas curiosity, potatoes were first planted in botanical gardens. Systematic botanists found themselves in a difficult situation: how to classify a plant, what genus to classify it into. To begin with, the foreign plant was given the Indian name “papa” (that’s what the Peruvian Indians called potatoes). Then, due to its similarity to sweet potatoes in forming underground tubers, English botanists named it sweet potato (potato in English). Only in 1590, the Swiss botanist Bouchen, based on the structure of the flower and fruit, came to the conclusion that the overseas plant was closely related to plants of the nightshade genus, well known to botanists. Bowchen gave the name to a plant from America - Solyanum tuberosum esculentum, which means edible tuberous nightshade. Subsequently, this specific name for the plant was finally assigned to C. Linnaeus. The British still had the previous name for potatoes - potato, but they had to call the real sweet potato sweet potato.
Answer from Kostya Vlasov[guru]
Since time immemorial, this annual herbaceous plant from the nightshade family with white or purple flowers has gained fame as the first vegetable among the peoples of different countries. Two thousand years ago, the Indians of Peru knew how to cook “chunio” from potatoes, for which the chopped tubers were left in the open air overnight, crushed in the morning, then dried and obtained a kind of canned potatoes, suitable for long-term storage. Potatoes came to Europe many centuries later. It is believed that the famous pirate of the period of Great Geographical Discovery, Vice Admiral Francis Drake, took the mysterious tubers of this wonderful plant from South America, for which later grateful descendants erected a monument to him with the following inscription on the pedestal: “To Sir Francis Drake, who spread potatoes in Europe. 1580 Millions of farmers around the world bless his immortal memory. This is help to the poor, a precious gift from God, alleviating bitter need.”
However, for a long time, Europeans treated potatoes with great distrust and did not dare to eat them, but recognized them only as feed for pigs. The Parisian pharmacist Antoine Parmentier once treated the King of France to boiled potatoes, who liked this dish so much that he began to wear potato flowers on his dress coat, and the queen decorated her hair with them. But ordinary people still avoided eating “earth” or “devil” apples. Then Parmentier attached signs in his garden next to the potato beds asking... do not come close to the plant. The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest, and within a few days all the neighbors of the cunning pharmacist began to plant potatoes in their gardens.
The potato culture did not immediately take root in Russia, since the clergy and Old Believers did their best to prevent the spread of the plant. And in the middle of the last century, a wave of “potato riots” swept through many Russian provinces, when peasants refused to plant “damn” apples, or “unclean fruits of the underworld.”
Nowadays potatoes are valued not only as the first vegetable, from which chefs can prepare more than 300 dishes, but also as a medicinal plant. White, red or purple potato tubers are a real chemical laboratory. They contain up to twenty-five percent starch, which has long been used in medical practice as a gentle anti-inflammatory and enveloping agent for gastrointestinal disorders, as well as for the preparation of pharmaceutical tablets. Tubers are rich in fiber, pectin and other carbohydrates, as well as proteins, amino acids, vitamins B, C, PP, carotene, organic acids, especially citric and malic, mineral salts, lipids and other compounds. And the specific “potato” smell of the tubers is due to the presence of essential oil in them.
