This Spud’s For You

Written by Cheffy

An article written by my mentor and hair stylist, Alton Brown.
- Cheffy

Archaeological digs in Chile and Peru have produced evidence that potatoes have been a staple since about 500 B.C. Spanish conquistadors stumbled over them in the 1530s while hunting for gold, and supposedly, a Spanish explorer, Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, brought the spud back to Spain.

As is true of several New World foods that have become globally ubiquitous, spuds faced considerable contempt and suspicion in Europe. After all, they are members of the nightshade family, which includes several plants so poisonous that several notable noble families were known to use them to off each other.

In the end, a French botanist named Parmentier, who had survived being a prisoner of war by consuming potatoes, convinced Louis XVI to endorse the untrusted tuber. To this day, many classic French potato recipes include Parmentier in the name.

The Irish famine that drove so many citizens from that island to America was caused by an airborne fungus (Phytophthora Infestans) that probably blew onto the island from ships traveling from the New World to England.

American horticulturist Luther Burbank (1849-1926) developed his famed russet potato while trying to come up with a fungus-resistant plant that would give Ireland new hope. As of this writing every McDonald’s French fry is cut from a Burbank.

Comments are closed.