The Potato Flowers

In May 1856, when the British had banished Wajid Ali Shah, the 10th Nawab of Oudh, from his beloved Lucknow, he settled down in the outskirts of Kolkata and rebuilt a replica of his beloved capital, complete with grand Islamic structures and a zoo of exotic animals. But most importantly he brought along with him the Lucknow royal kitchen and it’s master chefs. However , while the table was set, the culinary ecstasy also faced the strain of financial constrain. One story is that the royal chefs thought of an ingenious way to deal with the shortage of meat. They added potatoes and eggs to the traditional Awadhi?Biriyani and the Kolkata Biriyani was born. The humble potato became the identity of the dish and not the succulent mutton. Kolkata Biriyani without the potato has no existence.

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How the “Papas” of the Incas, an humble and ordinary looking? vegetable, with no strong personality (taste) of its own, one that can be easily pealed and boiled and smashed? became the crown jewel of the world food chain and one of the world’s most versatile and main food crop is a? story with some management lesson about adaptation, survival, ability to mix with others and sponsorship.

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Adeptness to adopt: Potato originated and was first domesticated in the Andes mountains of South America. Being a mountainous region potatoes were cultivated at different heights along the mountain terrace which meant differences in soil mix , climate , water availability? etc . This lead to almost 4,000 varieties?of native potatoes, showing the ability? of this tuber to adopt to different climates.

Potato is?vegetatively propagated, meaning that a new plant can be grown from a potato or piece of potato. Potato plants also produce flowers and berries that contain seeds. These can be planted to produce new tubers, which will be genetically different from the mother plant. Potatoes can grow from sea level up to 4,700 meters above sea level; from southern Chile to Greenland, they are produced in over 100 countries worldwide.

By the end of the 18th century, potatoes had become in much of Europe what they were in the Andes—a staple. Roughly 40 percent of the Irish ate no solid food other than potatoes; the figure was between 10 percent and 30 percent in the Netherlands, Belgium, Prussia and perhaps Poland. Routine famine almost disappeared in potato country, a 2,000-mile band that stretched from Ireland in the west to Russia’s Ural Mountains in the east. While a successful potato crop can feed a nation, Its failure can cause starvation on a mass scale as witnessed during the Irish Potato Famine of 1845.

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“Despite its origins in the Andes, it’s an incredibly successful global food,” said food historian Rebecca Earle, who traced the potato’s planetary journey in?Feeding the People: The Politics of the Potato. “It’s grown practically everywhere in the world, and practically everywhere, people consider it one of ‘our foods’,” It is rightly said to be the “world's most successful immigrant”. What made the potato so irresistible was its unrivalled nutritional value, its relative easiness to cultivate, its ability to easily navigate wars and tax censuses due to its nature of hiding underground and in particular, its camaraderie with working men and women in the fields. This was aptly painted by Vincent van Gough in his seminal work,?The Potato Eaters. The impetus behind the painting was to depict hard-working peasants in a true light; their dirty hands eating food obtained by the sweat of their dirty brows. Potato also inspired one of the world’s best loved and highest selling toys, Mr Potato Head

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In October 1995, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, created the technology with the goal of feeding astronauts on long space voyages, and eventually, feeding future space colonies.

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Importance of Sponsorship : To aid in the cultivation of their most precious crop, the Incans worshipped the potato Goddess, Axomama (Potato Mother). While potato spread throughout the northern colonies in limited quantities, potatoes did not become widely accepted until they received an aristocratic seal of approval from Thomas Jefferson, who served them to guests at the White House.

In 1536, Spanish Conquistadors in Peru discovered the flavours of the potato and transported them to Europe. At first, the vegetable was not widely accepted. Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589. but it took nearly four decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. It wasn’t until Prussia’s King Fredrick issued a proclamation decreeing the compulsory growing and consumption of potatoes. His forward-thinking prevented his people from starving to death during the Seven Year War The nation was so grateful to their warmongering, potato-loving leader, that, when he died, they honoured him by placing potatoes on his tomb .

However, Protestants in Southern England weren’t too keen on them – fearing they signalled the advance of Catholicism. Indeed, a popular 1765 election slogan in Lewes was – “No potatoes! No popery “. Potatoes arrived in the colonies in the 1620s when the Governor of the Bahamas sent a gift box containing potatoes to the governor of the colony of Virginia.

Marie Antoinette, queen of France liked the potato flower so much that she put them in her hair. Her husband, Louis XVI, put one in his buttonhole, inspiring a brief vogue in which the French aristocracy swanned around with potato plants on their clothes.?The flowers were part of an attempt to persuade French farmers to plant and French diners to eat this strange new species. In the wake of the French Revolution, soup kitchens peddling potato soup were set up across Western Europe to stave off radicalism with potatoes.?Supporters hoped that charity soups would convince the hungry poor of the beneficent intentions of elite-run governments, and discourage them from imitating French radicals.

Following its introduction into China toward the end of the?Ming dynasty, the potato immediately became a delicacy of the imperial family.

In India, the story of the potato is one that begins with the early Portuguese and Dutch traders. However, their influence or reach did not extend across the subcontinent and the potato remained restricted to small patches along the Malabar coastline.It was in the 18th Century, under the British East India Company that the potato got a new? push though not from an entirely noble agenda and was part of the British "civilizing" mission. The idea was to replace local vegetable varieties with more?superior plants?. Since theirs was a long term mission in India, growing potatoes made far more sense than importing them. So, the plants were given out to farmers at a pittance and the overall agenda was one of indulgence as well as commerce for the potato business was picking up across the world

During the world war the British government promoted potatoes as a way of reducing reliance on food imports while?also?improving the nation’s overall health. All households were urged to keep rabbits, raise chickens and, especially, grow potatoes, suited to British agricultural conditions and the capabilities of the home-gardener. Similar drive was also made in Russia and Germany? which played instrumental role in cultivation and adaptation of potato as a staple diet. Soldiers fighting on both sides of the?American Revolution?ate them weekly in their rations.?

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Multiple Usage: The ancient civilizations of the Incas used the time it took to cook a potato as a measurement of time. Andean Indians ate potatoes boiled, baked and mashed, as Europeans do now. But potatoes were also boiled, peeled, chopped and dried to make?papas secas; fermented in stagnant water to create sticky, odoriferous?toqosh; and ground to pulp, soaked in a jug and filtered to produce?almidón de papa?(potato starch). Most ubiquitous was?chu?o, which is made by spreading potatoes outside to freeze on cold nights, then thawing them in the morning sun. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles transform the spuds into soft, juicy blobs. Farmers squeeze out the water to produce chu?o: stiff, Styrofoam-like nodules much smaller and lighter than the original tubers. Cooked into a spicy Andean stew, they resemble gnocchi, the potato-flour dumplings in central Italy.

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In Europe, the potato became a foundational ingredient. The French, known for their culinary finesse, created classics such as the creamy gratin dauphinois and the delicate pommes Anna. The Germans made the potato a star in their hearty dishes, such as kartoffelsalat (potato salad) and bratkartoffeln (pan-fried potatoes). In Eastern Europe potatoes became essential in dishes like the Polish pierogi and the Russian kasha. The versatility of the potato was celebrated in every form, from boiled and mashed to roasted and fried.

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In India, the British presumed that the potato's success would rival that of rice, instead, it was readily accepted and adapted into India's diverse culinary lexicon. Food historian and writer Chitrita Banerji writes about dishes across the country that melded with the potato. Notable examples of this were the mochar ghonto (banana blossom stir fry) in Bengal which adopted diced potato into its preparation. Similarly, a fifteenth-century text called the Nimatnama, or the Book of Delights describes?numerous versions of samosas?favoured by the Khilji royals and not one of them contained the potato.?The ?potato found its way into the samosas and a variety of dishes like the ?aloo gobi (a dish made with potatoes and cauliflower). The simplicity of aloo paratha (potato-stuffed bread) exemplifies how the potato was seamlessly integrated into everyday Indian cuisine.

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In East Asia, while the potato was not a traditional staple, it nevertheless found a place in local cuisines. In China, dishes like tu dou si (shredded potato stir-fry) showcase the potato in a different light, focusing on texture and subtlety. Similarly, in Korean cuisine, potatoes are used in side dishes and soups, such as gamja-tang (potato stew)

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In the Middle East, the potato is often an accompanying element in stews and mezze. The Lebanese batata harra (spicy potatoes) and the Egyptian batates mahshiyeh (stuffed potatoes) are notable examples. In parts of Africa, where the potato was introduced primarily in the 19th and 20th centuries, it became a significant part of diets, adapted into local dishes like irio in Kenya, a mash of potatoes, peas, and maize.

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The journey of the potato, from its Andean origins to its global prominence, is a narrative rich with historical significance, cultural diversity, and agricultural innovation. As we have explored, the potato is much more than a staple food; it is a symbol of human adaptability and resilience.

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Source : This is not an original research , but an accumulation from articles read across various sites , which I found interesting given my love for potato. From as early as I can remember,?potatoes?have been an all-time favourite food. Some of the main sources are : https://cipotato.org/potato/potato-facts-and-figures/ ; https://potatogoodness.com/potato-fun-facts-history/ ; rebeccaodessa.com; https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/92ca0047-7f4c-4ac3-bd16-0153662275b0/content; https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-potato-changed-the-world-108470605/; https://untoday.org/the-potato-a-journey-through-time-cultures-and-challenges/ ; https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200302-the-true-origins-of-the-humble-potato; https://www.cntraveller.in/story/how-the-potato-changed-from-a-novelty-to-our-daily-tuber-kolkata/