Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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We keep commenting of the importance of the potato in class so I thougt people might find this intersting to know.
Potatoes have had a varied history. At first they were thought to be an evil food as they were not mentioned in the bible. Then the were treated as an aphrodisiac as populations boomed in one culture after another following their vitamin packed introduction.
On the whole, potatoes were adapted by most western cultures fairly rapidly. Discovered in 1200 BC in Peru, Western civilization was not introduced to them until the 1530's when Spanish invaders found the starchy treasure in an Inca village while searching for gold. By the 1570's potatoes were well accepted in Spain.
Carried down form its high altitude Andean home the potato arrived in Europe at the end of the 16th century aboard spanish treasure ships. Taken to Europe potatoes were fed to live stock in Europe long before they became a staple in human diets. It was grown without fanfare in Spain, carried to Italy and then across the Alps to northern Europe by monks. Reconganized by the emporer of Germany as a valvable and inexpensive food, the potato's cultivation was encouraged by the king and his advisers.
Once the potato was established in its new homes it began to exert its influence, for good and for bad, on culture and history. Its introduction into high mountain vallets in Switzerland allowed settlement where before nothing would grow. Its arrival in China, along with the sweet potato was highly productive and easy to grow,chronic malnutrition among mothers and subsequent high infant mortality rates were drastically cut back, allowing growth in population. Excess workers not needed on the farms came to the cities to labor in the new factories- hence the Industrial Revolution was fueled, in fact, made possible.
The potato has put down roots all over the globe, from the low lands of Holland to the deserts of Israel to the frost of the north pole. Potatoes were introduced into the United States in the 1700's as Irish immigrants planted the crop upon their arrival in Virginia. They didn't become widely accepted until 1789, when Thomas Jefferson retuning from France served them at the White House making them a stylish dish. Potatos are grown in all 50 states as well, with Idaho, California and Colorado the leading potato growing states.