Márk Gál
The potato originates from South America, from the region of Peru and Bolivia. The Incas and their ancestors domesticated it between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago. In the harsh conditions of the Andes, where corn and many plants could no longer grow, the potato was an option. The Incas let potatoes freeze overnight and stomped out the moisture during the day, making a food that could be stored for years.
The Europeans encountered this plant during the sixteenth century, through the conquistadors. They feared this plant; since the Bible didn’t mention it and it belonged to the class of nightshade (a very deadly berry), they thought that this might be a hellish plant. Later they realized it was nutritious, so they gave it to their pork and cattle.
Starvation wasn’t an unfamiliar concept for Europeans. (Even nowadays just it is now quality starvation.) Antoine-Augustin Parmentier in the eighteenth century wanted to popularize the potato to end famine in France. He convinced King Louis XVI to wear potato blossoms in his buttonhole, and Marie Antoinette even wore them in her hair at royal balls. Parmentier had the King’s plantations guarded by soldiers during the day to make the potatoes seem like a “royal treasure.” At night, he withdrew the guards, encouraging the peasants to “steal” the crops and plant them in their own gardens. I believe even nowadays when every tenth person is in the field of marketing, he would not have any problems at a job application for these kinds of gigs. In fact, many companies would hire him straightaway.
This tuber became later widespread in Europe and weirdly in North America; too. Although it needed only pass through the yet nonexistent Panama Canal to reach the North American continent, it didn’t. The other tribes probably didn’t care about this plant, and it didn’t have wings or legs, so even a nonexistent canal could make such trouble, yet the potato didn’t travel directly from South to North America. Although wild tubers existed in the north, the potato was brought back to the USA by European immigrants (like Irish settlers). It first became popular in places like New Hampshire.
Ireland became dependent on this tuber. It functioned similarly to wheat but was even more crucial. So when potato blight (a fungal disease) arrived from America, it destroyed the Irish harvests, which led to a massive famine, killing masses and leading to the emigration of millions of citizens. Today, many of Americans have Irish roots because of the catastrophe.
In the late 19th century, the American horticulturalist Luther Burbank developed the Russet Burbank variety. This large, hardy potato became the foundation for American fast-food culture. Today, this is the specific variety used by McDonald’s and other major chains for their French fries. (By the way, there are two theories about why it is called French fries. The first is that it comes from the cutting technique “to French.” The second theory is that the American soldiers stationed in Belgium during World War I got this as provender, and since the Belgian army spoke French, they thought that they were French, so they named this essential food after the troops.)