Potatoe

Potato is the term which applies either to the starchy tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, or to the plant itself. Potato is the world's most widely grown tuber crop, and the fourth largest food crop in terms of fresh produce -- after rice, wheat, and maize.

History Of Potatoe

The potato originated in the area of contemporary Peru and Bolivia. Potato was introduced to Europe in the late 1500's, and subsequently by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world as European colonization expanded in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Potatoe Nutrition Info

Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). Potatoes contain a number of important vitamins and minerals. A medium potato (150g/5.3 oz) with the skin provides 27 mg vitamin C (45% of the Daily Value (DV)), 620 mg of potassium (18% of DV), 0.2 mg vitamin B6 (10% of DV) and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

Potatoe Health Benefits

Starch is the predominant form of carbohydrate found in potatoes. A small but significant portion of the starch in potatoes is resistant to enzymatic digestion in the stomach and small intestine and, thus, reaches the large intestine essentially intact. This resistant starch is considered to have similar physiological effects and health benefits of fiber (e.g., provide bulk, offer protection against colon cancer, improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lower plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, increase satiety, and possibly even reduce fat storage)

Storing Potatoes

Under optimum conditions possible in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to six months, but several weeks is the normal shelf life in homes. If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, these areas should be trimmed before using.

Potatoe Trivia

Thousands of varieties persist in the Andes, where over 100 varieties might be found in a single valley. Due to the fact that very few varieties were initially introduced, lack of genetic diversity left the crop vulnerable to disease and in 1845, a fungal disease -- Phytophthora infestans, also known as late blight -- spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland, resulting in the Great Irish Famine.

The United Nations have officially declared the year 2008 the International Year of the Potato in order to “increase awareness of the importance of the potato as a food in developing nations”.

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