His Majesty – POTATO
French fries, mashed, fried, salad, baked, fried, bakery, boiled... POTATO.
It is a food we are all familiar with. Or so we think. We prepare it in countless ways and I really don't know a person who doesn't like it, at least in some way.
So let me introduce you to his majesty - POTATO. He started from South America, presumably from the Andes. Researchers discovered (although I still don't understand how) that 8.000 years ago, before our era, the inhabitants of the Andes at that time cultivated it at altitudes of over 4.000 m. It already says that this royal baby is very tough and can survive and survive in different climates.
When it first arrived on the Old Continent, you can imagine, the first transoceanic adventurers brought it with them as a gift to their kings (after all, like everything else they brought from the New World). Kings at that time (um, was it only at that time) were more interested in gold and/or weapons, but the queens did not miss the beauty of the blooming potato. They still didn't know what to do with him, so they looked at him more and ate less.
Whether it matters or not, it is believed that there are two ways of spread of potatoes from South America, one through Spain, while the other should be through England and Ireland.
However, like all other foods that arrived from the New World, there are many stories and anecdotes about potatoes.
One story says that in the middle of the 16th century, King Philip II of Spain sent Pope Pius IV, who was somewhat ill, a packet of potatoes along with a message wishing him a speedy recovery. It is not known whether it was the consumption of potatoes that helped the Pope to heal, but it is known that this is how he moved from Spain to France and Belgium. And now, that little one, for a long, long time, just an ornament of the royal gardens and a royal meal, becomes food for many hungry mouths starting around the 18th century.
Another story, again, tells how Sir Francis Drake served potatoes on his ship, at a famous gala dinner for Elizabeth I (ah, if Drake was a famous pirate from England) and that's how it arrived in England. Now, whether Drake actually brought it from America or if he just robbed some Spanish ships along the way, it doesn't even matter to us. But it is important that he gave a sack of potatoes to Sir Walter Raleigh, and he took them to Ireland, and so, there are potatoes in Ireland.
It is assumed that actually sailors, sailing between two worlds, also discovered the nutritional value of potatoes, because by eating potatoes they prevented the occurrence of sailor's disease, i.e. scurvy. So that it was actually declared among the sailors as the golden food from the Andes.
And little by little, it spread throughout the Old Continent, and then further east.
It didn't take long for the rich and the peasants to understand that this little one, which is hiding under the ground, does not require much care, but rewards with an abundance of fruits.
That it is really worth having potatoes on the menu every day (as an old proverb says) is also confirmed by its nutritional content.
One medium-sized boiled potato (about 150 grams) contains 105 units of calcium, about 15 grams of carbohydrates in the form of starch, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of vegetable proteins, and almost no fat. It also contains vitamin C, group B vitamins, minerals - potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and trace elements copper and fluorine.
It's not enough for an ordinary little unsightly potato. And be careful now, preparing potatoes by cooking them with dairy products or eggs allows our body to process a lot of necessary protein.
Now we are not surprised that the miracle potato, originally from the Andes, was the choice of hungry sailors on their long journeys between two worlds.
And as I said, at the end of the 18th century, this gentleman began to spread as a highly desirable food on all continents, and there is no longer a single national cuisine that does not use it in some way.
It didn't surprise me, but it surprised me, that China is the largest producer of potatoes (somehow we always associate China with rice).
Anyway, what surprised me even more was the fact that only 40% of the total world production of potatoes is used in all national kitchens, i.e. end up on our plates. The other 60% is processed into starch, alcohol, animal feed and left as "seeds" for the new planting season.
It's a very strange piece of information, and it seemed to me that potatoes were at our every step.
Did you know that there are about 40 different types of this food that are used for nutrition, while we, Europeans, use a much smaller number.
Ugh, reading all the names and descriptions of each gave me a headache (I'll share that with you another time).
But, all the chefs (chefs) agree that what potatoes are good for depends on the variety, i.e. which method of processing suits him best. In addition to the variety, it also differs in terms of ripening time. Color serves us more to navigate and decorate more beautifully, while the shape does not really affect anything, except perhaps our notion of culinary aesthetics.
So, depending on the variety, some are good for cooking, some for baking, some for just making dough, some for drying, some for freezing, and so on.
Yes, let's say - since recently, in our stores you can also find the root of SWEET POTATO, which is also called sweet potatoes. Although it is also very healthy and good, the sweet potato is not from the potato family, but belongs to the sweet potato family. It surprised me too, because it really looks like a potato that grew in slightly unusual conditions.
In the continuation of the story about this "golden boy from the Andes" (which will follow soon), I will try to introduce you to his varieties and their characteristics. It may make it easier for you to decide which variety of potato is best for which type of dish.
Until then, search the portal for recipes for dishes with potatoes, and there will be more soon, because you will not believe what can be made from it - both salty and sweet, healthy and delicious.
Marijana Primc Anastasijevic
Read the interview with Marijana Primc Anastasijević >>>
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