HISTORY OF THE SPUD

Among the first Europeans to see the unimposing plant the Indians called 'papa' was conquistador Francisco Pizarro and his rowdy band. When they overran Peru in the 1530's they were unaware of the buried treasure beneath their feet. Introduced into Europe over the next 50 years, the potato began four centuries of world conquest. The Inca Empire had vanished, Spain's glory only a memory. Compared to the vast benefits that this versatile plant has bestowed on humankind, all the gold of Peru becomes small potatoes.

Today the potato is produced in 130 countries, and is worth in excess of 1000 billion dollars a year worldwide. The potato yields more nutritious food more quickly on less land and in harsher climates than any such major crops as rice, corn or wheat.

In the Peruvian Andes, only village elders remembered that a Soviet expedition had collected wild and cultivated potatoes there almost 60 years before. Most villagers had no idea how important their potatoes had become in other lands.

Before 6000 BC nomadic Indians collected wild potatoes 12000 ft high, the potato becoming a staple of the great Inca civilisation during the 16^th century. Andean farmers cultivate as many as 3000 of the 5000 or so potato varieties, embracing all eight species, each having its own name.

When introduced into Europe, the potato was cursed as an evil food. The Scots refused to eat it, because it wasn't mentioned in the Bible. There have been many dedicated "potato-pushers" in high places - Captain James Cook, Sir Walter Raleigh, sir Francis Drake, Catherine the Great, - convincing people to accept the humble potato. 

DESCRIPTION

The potato is so hardy and adaptable that it grows from below sea level behind Dutch dykes to almost 14000 ft up in the chilly Andes and Himalayas, from the Arctic Circle to the Strait of Magellan, and in the scorching deserts of Australia and Africa. Only in the sultry jungles, where high humidity encourages wilt and other diseases, does the potato languish. Indeed few foods can rival this versatile vegetable, so long misunderstood. In its great potential to feed our hungry planet, its fascination to science, and its legendary past, it offers much food for thought for all of us.

HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS

Potatoes are highly nutritious, containing vitamins C and B, fibre and complex carbohydrates which provide the body with useful energy. They are very low in kilojoules, containing 1g of fat per 150g.

Many potatoes are seasonal, and autumn is the peak season for the widest choice. The good news is that varietal potatoes are becoming available all over Australia, and in Brisbane.