Interesting Facts about Potatoes

The potato is about 80% water and 20% solids.

An 8-ounce baked or boiled potato has only about 100 calories.

The world's largest potato chip was produced by the Pringle's Company in Jackson, TN in 1990. It measures 23" x 14.5"

In 1974, an Englishman named Eric Jenkins grew 370 pounds of potatoes from one plant.

The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes in about 200 BC?

In 1536 Spanish Conquistadors conquered Peru, became aware of the potato, and carried them to Europe.

Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589 near Cork on the 40,000 acres of land given to him by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581.

Potatoes arrived in the Colonies in 1621 when the Governor of Bermuda, Nathaniel Butler, sent two large cedar chests containing potatoes and other vegetables to Governor Francis Wyatt of Virginia at Jamestown.

The first permanent potato patches in North America were established in 1719, most likely near Londonderry (Derry), NH.

Marie Antoinette wife of Louis XV was known to wear potato blossoms as a hair decoration.

French Fries were introduced to the U.S. when Thomas Jefferson served them in the White House during his Presidency of 1801-1809.

Over the years of cultivation in Ireland the potato had become the major food source to the Irish population. In 1845-46 a fungus destroyed the potato crops causing the disaster of the Irish Potato Famine

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.

During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush, (1897-1898) potatoes were practically worth their weight in gold. Potatoes were so valued for their vitamin C content that miners traded gold for potatoes.

Because the potato was unknown to them, Europeans initially considered potatoes poisonous or evil due to their similarities to the nightshade family. Some members of the nightshade family include Mandrake and Belladonna, which are used for medicinal purposes. Germany's King Frederick William realized that potatoes were a good food source and ordered peasants to plant and eat potatoes or their noses would be cut off.