Feb. 17 is a spudtastic day for potato lovers
Feb. 17 is a spudtastic day for potato lovers.
It was on this date in 1795 that Thomas Seddal, from Chester, England, pulled an 8.3 kilo potato (or about 18lbs) from his garden. To celebrate this epic achievement, we have potatoes … on stamps.
Bolvia Post International Year of the Potato
Released October 10, 2008
The potatoes shown here are native to Bolivia
Luk´i Negra
Sani Imilla
Waych´a
Saq´ampaya
Potatoes trace their origins to Lake Titicaca, a large freshwater lake that sprawls across the borders of Bolivia and Peru. The people of the Andes cultivated the original potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) for thousands of years, producing the diverse descendants we recognise as potatoes today.
The United Nations declared 2008 the Year of the Potato to recognise both its historic importance, and current vital role in modern food chain.
Easy to farm and high in energy and vitamin C, the UN says that the potato, which first came to Europe from Latin America in the 1500s, will be central to achieving its millennium development goal to reduce by half the numbers living in extreme poverty by 2015.
UN honours humble spud with Year of the Potato | World news | The Guardian
The potato has been consumed in the Andes for about 8 000 years. Brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century, it quickly spread across the globe: today potatoes are grown on an estimated 193 000 sq km of farmland, from China’s Yunnan plateau and the subtropical lowlands of India, to Java’s equatorial highlands and the steppes of the Ukraine. I0500_E COP CON FORATURA (fao.org)
From French fries, samosas, stews to pancakes and patties, it’s impossible to imagine life without the humble tuber. 100 Best Potato Dishes in the World – TasteAtlas
A Native Potato Champion in Bolivia (alliancebioversityciat.org)