Potatoes and History

Domesticated in Peru, potatoes came to the Old World with the Columbian Exchange. But Europeans did not take to them easily. From a local staple of the people of the Andes Mountains to one of the most ubiquitous foods in the world, potatoes have a surprising history. The History Guy recalls the forgotten history of the food that transformed Europe.

This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.

You can purchase the "Hinterland Floral" bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:

All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.

Find The History Guy at:

The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.

Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at:

Script by JCG

#potato #thehistoryguy #foodhistory

[benjaminarmstrong]

When my niece was little she wouldn't eat mashed potatoes and that left more for me. Then one day she tried them, and that started my personal potato famine.

[stevedietrich]

"You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh,
potato-kabobs, potato creole, potato gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried,
stir-fried. There's pineapple potato, lemon potato, coconut potato,
pepper potato, potato soup, potato stew, potato salad, shrimp and
potatoes, potato burger, potato sandwich. That- that's about it." - Apologies to Bubba Blue

[bhatsayali]

I’m a homeschooling mom of a 10 and 8 year old. Your videos are so valuable to us. Not only entertaining and informative but also inspiring us to learnmore on these topics/people/events
Thank you so much
🙏🙏🙏

[petematthews]

Loved how you mentioned the effect of the shift from grain to potatoes on evening out food supplies. I remember reading once when armies lived off the land, once an army had gleaned what it could, it would burn the rest to deny foodstuffs to the enemy should they move through the same area. This, of course, was devastating to the local population. Once potato crops were planted, though, burning off the fields left the underground tubers untouched and the locals still had a food supply. So while still devastating, famine was lessened after the potato was cultivated.

[ChipmunkRapidsMadMan]

Fast Food: French fries
Snack: Potato crisps/chips
Fancy dinner: Twice Baked
Barbecue: Baked Potato
Pot luck: Potato salad
Quarantine: Vodka

There is a potato for all occasions

[stekra]

History of the Bow Tie you know you have to do it at some point.

[manicmechanic]

My grandpa Wilson used to fry potatoes in a cast iron skillet in bacon grease. That was real comfort food. 🇮🇪

[YoMamasCasa]

I went to a potato museum in Peru. Mind blown. I had no idea there were so many varieties... 4, 000! Hay muchas patatas 🥔 🥔 🥔 !

[alanwchase]

About 40 years ago I met a girl who bewitched me with her Potato Salad.Shes coming down stairs now for lunch!😊

[carolynlarke]

I met a grad student whose thesis was that the potato caused populations to rise so quickly in Europe that it paved the way for the First World War. It was something I never thought about in that context. My family fled Ireland in the 1850s when there was little left for the survivors of The Starving Times. Thanks for this.

[bkm]

I grew up in Shelley, Idaho. My high school mascot was the Russet potato. Some of the cheerleaders wore uniforms sown from potato sacks. Every year the town holds an annual "Spud Day" festival. Students get two weeks off from school in late September to work in the potato harvest.

[dewiz]

Not to mention the role of potatoes in the story “The Martian”. When someone asked what the book was about, I replied “a story about a potato farmer”. The person offering the book to her sister had a good chuckle. . .

[Nastyswimmer]

The "potatoes fried in the French manner" served during Jefferson's presidency weren't what are now known in the US as French fries (and in Britain as chips) - contemporary descriptions and recipe books clearly say that they were thin, shallow-fried SLICES of potato. This also ties in with the story of how US chips were invented when a diner at a Saratoga restaurant repeatedly sent his fries back, complaining that they were too thick. That only makes sense if the fries were slices of potato rather than batons. The first record of deep fried potato batons (of the kind now known as French fries in the US) is as an accompaniment to fried fish sold by street traders in London and the story goes that the British army took their love of "fried chipped potatoes" to Flanders in WW1 where the Belgians learned to make them and served them up to off-duty soldiers. When the American army took over the western end of the front in 1917 the Belgians continued to serve them to the soldiers who, not realising they were in Belgium rather than France, assumed that these were "French fried potatoes".
That's a bit of history that has been mis-remembered.

[geoben]

The kind of history that just isn't taught in school that truly does deserve to be remembered. Brought to you exclusively by the one and only HISTORY GUY! 👍🏻😉

[socipath]

I am a mostly silent observer of your videos. I just wanted to thankyou for your content.

[hatuletoh]

One of my favorite sights in Peru were the enormous piles of potatoes in the outdoor weekend markets, which are as ubiquitous in the country as the potatoes themselves. The piles are stacked as tall as a person in piles with a circumference on the ground of around 10', and maybe half the varieties are different shades of purple, a few of them are quite beautiful. Being an American, after a month down there I started missing bread very badly, but the potatoes were none the less always tasty.

[jamesferris]

My father was a poor peanut farmer in Oklahoma. We raised all of our own food, including potatoes. I wish I had a dollar for every potatoe I dug. My mother, and aunts could all cooked very well, and I especially remember new potatoes, and fresh green beans with bacon grease. My favorite was a dish my aunt made with new potatoes. She made a sauce, and poured over the small potatoes. This was so good it would make a Jack rabbit whip a bull dog.

[KittyStarlight]

All different kinds of history are available to watch on this guy's channel.
Cats, chickens, potatoes, all kinds of history. ^___^
Thank you. ^___^

[iowafarmboy]

Hope you do one for corn (maize). Especially since it looks absolutely nothing like what it did before the Native Americans started selective breeding it. Really interesting history 🙂

[janicemaceachern]

I live in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. When the markets were open, different types of potatoes easily took up a quarter of the huge building! It's quite fascinating to see all the different varieties. There is one type of purple camote (sweet potato) that I swear the center is grown around a good chunk of maple syrup crystals! Mmmm...makes me hungry just thinking of them. Then there are the small one or two bite sized potatoes that remind me of a small yellow flesh Yukon Gold. They are grown in mountain river sand and are very clean when picked so they are easy to clean. They are great boiled and used in salads, or fried up to make a potato hash, or just mash them up and put some butter on them. I love them but can eat only a very tiny bit because they are high in carbohydrates and my body loves carbs just a little too much. Great video!