The History of the Potato
500 years ago, Incan villagers tilled the land in
the Andes Mountains in South America. Potatoes of every
texture, flavor, and color were fa rmed. Potatoes were a
staple of the Incan diet, but were unknown outside of the
Andes until Francisco Pizarro of Spain traveled to South
America in 1531.
Although Pizarro and his conquerors were
seeking for gold, silver, and converts to Christianity and
not plants, they inevitably brought the nutritious and
delicious potato back to Europe with them. During the last
four and a half centuries since Pizarro brought the potato
back to Europe, it has become one of the world’s twenty
essential crops to feed humanity.
Eaten everywhere from
fast food chains to gourmet restaurants, the potato is a
truly remarkable little ball of starch. Who would have ever
thought that Pizarro would be revered for bringing potatoes
back to Europe? He was some kind of agricultural genius.
Speaking of genuses (genera), let’s learn more about the
Classification of the
potato!
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