The potato is a staple food source for many people around the world. With zero percent fat, potatoes contain many important nutrients and are an excellent source of vitamins B1 and B6, and a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fibre and pantothenic acid.
How important are potatoes to the world?
The potato is the third most important food crop in the world after rice and wheat in terms of human consumption. More than a billion people worldwide eat potato, and global total crop production exceeds 300 million metric tons. There are more than 4,000 varieties of native potatoes, mostly found in the Andes.
Why was the potato particularly important?
More than that, as the historian William H. McNeill has argued, the potato led to empire: “By feeding rapidly growing populations, [it] permitted a handful of European nations to assert dominion over most of the world between 1750 and 1950.” The potato, in other words, fueled the rise of the West.
Are potatoes important today?
Today the potato is the third most important crop in the world in terms of food consumption, after rice and wheat, and hundreds of millions of people in developing countries depend on potatoes for their survival.
How did the potato save the world?
The introduction of the potato to Europe in the 16th century changed agriculture, allowing farmers to grow more crops on less land. In turn, this allowed communities to feed themselves on smaller amounts of land. As a result the price of land dropped.
What is the economic importance of potato?
Potatoes are used for several industrial purposes such as for the production of starch and alcohol. Potato starch (farina) is used in laundries and for sizing yarn in textile mills. Potatoes are also used for the production of dextrin and glucose.
Did you know facts about potatoes?
The potato is about 80% water and 20% solids. An 8 ounce baked or boiled potato has only about 100 calories. The average American eats about 124 pounds of potatoes per year while Germans eat about twice as much. In 1974, an Englishman named Eric Jenkins grew 370 pounds of potatoes from one plant.
Who invented the potato?
The humble potato was domesticated in the South American Andes some 8,000 years ago and was only brought to Europe in the mid-1500s, from where it spread west and northwards, back to the Americas, and beyond.
Are potatoes a New World food?
Food historian Lois Ellen Frank calls potatoes, tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, chili, cacao, and vanilla the “magic eight” ingredients that were found and used only in the Americas before 1492 and were taken via the Columbian Exchange back to the Old World, dramatically transforming the cuisine there.
What country is the potato originally from?
Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 5,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of potatoes presently cultivated worldwide descend from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile.
What is the healthiest way to eat?
Top 5 tips from the experts
- Prepare most of your meals at home using whole or minimally processed foods.
- Make an eating plan each week – this is the key to fast, easy meal preparation.
- Choose recipes with plenty of vegetables and fruit.
- Avoid sugary drinks and instead drink water.
- Eat smaller meals more often.
Which potato is healthiest?
Red Desiree Potatoes
Red Desiree Potatoes are part of the Red Potato family and are considered to be the healthiest of all potatoes, as they contain the highest levels of vitamins, minerals and healthy phytochemicals.
Are potatoes healthier than rice?
Overall, potatoes contain more vitamins and nutrients than rice, but when you add toppings such as butter, sour cream, gravy, bacon bits and salt, the number of calories and fat grams in a baked potato increases significantly.
When did humans start eating potatoes?
The oldest known evidence of the domestication of potatoes is found in the North Creek Shelter Site in Utah’s Escalante Valley. Potato starch residues have been found on stone grinding tools, which are 10,900 years old.
How potatoes became the food for the poor?
When potatoes arrived in Europe, they quickly became the food of the poor. Peasants who couldn’t afford acreage or a team of oxen or a plough only needed a spade and a garden plot to grow potatoes. (The word ‘spud’ probably comes from the spade used to dig it up.) Unlike grain crops, potatoes can’t easily be stored.
Did the potato save Europe?
When explorers brought potatoes back from the Andes, Europe was able to reverse its population decline and establish greater food security. The potato is generally thought of as a humble tuber.
Why do we grow potatoes?
A typical potato contains over half the day’s requirement of vitamins C and B6, and almost half of the potassium. They’re also a good source of fiber, folate, niacin, thiamin, magnesium, manganese, and more.
Which country has the most potatoes?
China
>1,000,000 tonnes
| Rank | Country | 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 90,259,155 |
| 2 | India | 51,310,000 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 22,503,970 |
| 4 | Russia | 22,394,960 |
How many potatoes are there in the world?
World
| Potato Production in 2017 : | 388191000.00 | ℹ |
|---|---|---|
| Potato Area Harvested in 2017 : | 19302600.00 | ℹ |
| Potato Yield in 2017 : | 201108.00 | ℹ |
| Sweet Potato Production in 2017 : | 112835000.00 | ℹ |
| Sweet Potato Area Harvested in 2017 : | 9202780.00 | ℹ |
What nutrients do we get from potatoes?
Potatoes contain a good amount of carbs and fiber, as well as vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. Their nutrient contents can vary depending on the type of potato and cooking method.
What are 3 historical facts about potatoes?
Fun Potato History Fact
- The biggest potato grown to date from one plant was 370 pounds!
- There are two potato holidays.
- “Potatohead” was one of the first-ever toys advertised on television which was in the year 1952.