After bread and cereals, this vegetable is likely to be the second most common vegetable. Africa or America, Europe or Asia - regardless of the continent, people all over the world enjoy it. We are so accustomed to it that we no longer consider it something new, and even more so we do not classify it as a delicacy. We are talking about the potato we have known for a long time. Let's remember the time when it was not yet so widespread, learn about some of the tragedies associated with its loss, and find out why it is still so appreciated in Russia. However, let's start from where it spread throughout the world. What became the birthplace of the potato? Is it Europe or elsewhere?
The birthplace of the potato
It has long been believed that potatoes came to us from South America. Potatoes are native to Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Even today, in our time, in the Andes you can see how potatoes grow in the wild. There, at an altitude of more than a kilometer, you can find tubersalmost all currently known varieties. According to scientists, in ancient times, the Indians in that area could breed and cross varieties of various plants, including potatoes. The very first information about potatoes came from a Spaniard, a participant in the military campaign of Julian de Castellanos in 1535. According to him, even the Spaniards liked the mealy root crop of this plant. True, few people paid attention to his words. So you can briefly describe how the history of the origin of the potato (its distribution) began.
How culture got to Europe
The following description of the potato we find in the "Chronicle of Peru" by Pedro Chiesa de Leone. He described this plant in great detail and clearly. The history of the emergence of potatoes interested the king of Spain, who gave the order to bring a huge amount of this overseas product. Thus, thanks to Spain, the homeland of the potato - South America - supplied the whole of Europe with this vegetable. First he came to Italy, and later to Belgium. After that, the mayor of Mons (Belgium) handed over several tubers for research to his arc and a friend in Vienna. And only his acquaintance, also a botanist, described the potato in detail in his work "On Plants". Thanks to him, the potato got its own scientific name - Solyanum tuberosum esculentum (tuberous nightshade). Over time, his description of the potato and the very name of the garden crop became generally accepted.
In Ireland
It's time for Ireland, and inIn the 1590s, potatoes got there. There he gained universal recognition due to the fact that he took root well even in relatively unfavorable conditions. Regardless of the climate, wet or dry, mild or changeable, regardless of whether the tubers were planted in fertile or infertile soil, potatoes bore fruit. Therefore, it spread so much that in the 1950s at least a third of the entire area suitable for agriculture was planted with potato plantations. More than half of the harvest was directed to food for people. Thus, potatoes began to be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything would be fine, but suddenly there would be a crop failure? What would the Irish eat in this case? They didn't want to think about it.
Consequences of crop failures
If earlier it happened that potatoes did not bring the expected harvest, then certain efforts were made to provide the necessary assistance to the victims. And if the next year it was again possible to collect the required amount of root crop, this covered the shortcomings of the previous period. So, in 1845 there was another crop failure. However, no one was worried about the reasons for what happened. It must be said that at that time they still did not know much about late blight - a potato disease, due to which it was not possible to collect the required amount of vegetables. A fungus that infects tubers leads to rotting of potatoes in the ground, and even after harvesting from the fields. In addition, fungal spores of the disease are easily spread by airborne droplets. And due to the fact that only one variety of potatoes was planted in Ireland at that time, the entire crop quickly died. The same thing happened inthe next few years, which led first to unemployment, and then to famine in the country. Indirectly, this affected the outbreak of cholera, which in 1849 killed more than 36 thousand people. The story of the potato, with such an unfortunate turn of events, resulted in the state losing over a quarter of its population.
Potato: the history of appearance in Russia
Gradually the culture spread to the countries of Europe, as we saw in the example of Ireland, and at the very beginning of the eighteenth century it first appeared in Russia. In those years, Peter I was passing through Holland. There he had the opportunity to taste dishes made from potatoes (at that time, as today, they did not suspect that South America was the birthplace of the potato). After tasting the culinary innovation, the Russian sovereign noted the original taste of potato fruits. Since this delicacy did not yet exist in Russia, he decided to send a bag of potatoes to his homeland. Thus began the history of potatoes in Russia.
In the chernozem, as well as in soils of medium acidity, the new culture has taken root well. However, ordinary people still looked at this miracle vegetable with apprehension, because due to ignorance of the correct methods of its preparation, numerous cases of poisoning occurred. How to make sure that the distribution of potatoes is put on a grand scale? Peter I was a smart man and figured out what could be done for this. Tubers were planted in several fields, and guards were posted nearby, who served during the day, but left the fields at night. This aroused great curiosity among ordinary peasants, and they began at night, while no one was looking, to steal a new vegetable and plant it in their fields. However, the "earth apple" still did not receive widespread distribution at that time. There were a lot of those who "managed" to be poisoned by its berries. Therefore, the "damn apple" was basically refused to be grown by ordinary people. For as much as 50-60 years, the miracle vegetable was forgotten in Russia.
How the potato became famous
Later, Catherine II played a big role in making potatoes universally recognized. However, the main impetus for the spread of root crops was the famine that occurred in the 1860s. It was then that they remembered everything that they had previously neglected, and were surprised to find that the potato has an excellent taste and is very nutritious. As they say, "there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped."
Here is such an interesting history of potatoes in Russia. So, over time, potato tubers began to be planted throughout the country. People soon realized how useful the supply of this vegetable is, especially in times of crop failure. Until now, potatoes are considered the second bread, because, having sufficient stocks of it in the cellar, you can live even in difficult times. Thanks to their calorie content and benefits, to this day, the first thing that is planted in the garden is potato tubers.
Why potatoes are so popular in Russia
Since the time of Peter I, people have not immediately learned about chemical and nutrition althe value of this root for the human body. However, the history of the potato shows that it contains the substances necessary for survival in times of famine, disease and misfortune. What is so valuable and useful in this ordinary root crop? It turns out that its proteins contain almost all the amino acids that we could find in plant foods. Three hundred grams of this vegetable is enough to satisfy the daily requirement of potassium, phosphorus and carbohydrates. Potatoes, especially fresh ones, are rich in vitamin C and fiber. Moreover, it contains other elements necessary for life, such as iron, zinc, manganese, iodine, sodium and even calcium. Moreover, most of the nutrients are found in the peel of potatoes, which today is very often not eaten. However, in times of famine, ordinary people did not neglect it and ate whole potatoes, baked or boiled.
Cultivation of a single variety of potatoes and the consequences of this
As we have already learned, the homeland of the potato is South America. There, farmers acted wisely, breeding root crops of different varieties. So, only some of them were susceptible to the disease - fungal late blight. Therefore, even if such varieties died, it would not entail such terrible disasters as in Ireland. The fact that in nature there are varieties of the same culture protects people from this kind of misfortune. However, if you grow only one variety of fruits, then this can lead to what once happened in Ireland. As well asthe use of various chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which have a particularly adverse effect on natural cycles and the ecology in general.
What is the advantage of growing only one potato variety
What in this case, including in Russia, encourages farmers to grow only one particular variety of potatoes? This is mainly influenced by marketability and economic factors. Thus, farmers can bet on the beautiful appearance of the fruit, which means more demand from buyers. Also, the appearance of a standard crop can be explained by the fact that a certain variety of potato brings a larger yield in a particular area than others. However, as we have learned, this approach can have far-reaching adverse effects.
Colorado potato beetle is the main enemy of Russian gardeners
Insect pests can cause great damage to crops. One type of leaf beetle is very familiar to every gardener or farmer - this is the Colorado potato beetle. For the first time in 1859, it was discovered how much difficulty this insect can bring to potato cultivation. And in the 1900s, the beetle reached Europe. When he was brought here by chance, he quickly covered the entire continent, including Russia. Due to its resistance to chemicals that are used to combat it, this beetle is almost the main enemy of every gardener. Therefore, in order to do away with this pest, in addition to chemicals, agrotechnical methods began to be used. And now in Russia every summer resident who wants to enjoy homemade fried orpotatoes baked in the coals of a fire, first you have to familiarize yourself with simple methods of dealing with this pest.
