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Potato
Potato Recipe
Potato, nutritionally rich tuberous root vegetable, is a good source of starch and fiber. It is one of the most widely grown perennial crops and is one of the low cost staple food items of the poor population all over the world. Botanically, it belongs to the various perennial subspecies of Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceaefamily.
The plant grows about 12 to 18 inches in length and bears many tubers underground. The tubers usually have round to oval or oblong shape and vary widely in size. Internally, the flesh features bright cream-white, rose red or russet color depending on the variety with moist texture and have special buttery "potato" flavor.
Some of the popular cultivars are:
The plant grows about 12 to 18 inches in length and bears many tubers underground. The tubers usually have round to oval or oblong shape and vary widely in size. Internally, the flesh features bright cream-white, rose red or russet color depending on the variety with moist texture and have special buttery "potato" flavor.
Some of the popular cultivars are:
- White/yellow skin and flesh - Yukan gold, Yellow finn, Russian banana, Milva.
- Red skin and flesh - Ida rose, Norland, Cal red, French fingerling.
- Russet skin and flesh - Russet burbank, Ranger russet, Utamilla russet.
Health benefits of Potato
- Potatoes are one of the richest sources of starch, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. Contains very low fat (just 0.1 g per100 g) and no cholesterol.
- Both soluble and insoluble fiber in them increases the bulk of the stool, thus, it helps prevent constipation, decrease absorption of dietary cholesterol and there by lower plasma LDL cholesterol. Additionally, the rich fiber content also helps protect from colon cancer.
- The fiber content helps slow absorption of starch in the gut and thereby keeping blood sugar levels within normal range. For the same reason, potato is still favored source of carbohydrates in diabetics.
- The tubers are one of the richest sources of B-complex group of vitamins such as Vitamin B6, Niacin, Pantothenic acid and folates.
- Fresh potato skin as well as flesh are good source of antioxidant vitamin; vitamin-C. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
- They also contain adequate amounts of many essential minerals like Iron, manganese, copper and potassium.
- Red and russet potatoes contain good amount vitamin A, and flavonoids like carotenes and zeaxanthins.
- Recent studies at Agricultural research service (by plant genetics scientist Roy Navarre) suggests that flavonoid antioxidant, quercetin present in potatoes has anti-cancer and cardio-protective properties.
Selection and storage
Fresh potatoes are readily available in the stores. Look for tubers that feature firm in texture and have smooth waxy instead of dry surface. They normally have numerous "eyes" on their surface. Avoid those that feature soft in hand, have slumpy appearance, with cuts and bruises.
Oftentimes, you may come across greenish discolorationwith sprouts over their surface. Do not buy them since they indicate that the stock is old and formation of toxic alkaloid solanine.
At home, they should be stored in cool, dry and dark place. Exposure to sunlight and excess moisture will cause potatoes to sprout and to form toxic alkaloidsolanine.
Oftentimes, you may come across greenish discolorationwith sprouts over their surface. Do not buy them since they indicate that the stock is old and formation of toxic alkaloid solanine.
At home, they should be stored in cool, dry and dark place. Exposure to sunlight and excess moisture will cause potatoes to sprout and to form toxic alkaloidsolanine.
Culinary uses
Being a root vegetable they often subjected to infestation and therefore wash them thoroughly before cooking.
Potato dishes are prepared in many ways:
Potato dishes are prepared in many ways:
- Skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without.
- Mashed potatoes- first boiled and peeled, and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter.
- Whole baked, boiled or steamed.
- French-fried potatoes or chips.
- Cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried.
- Grated and formed into dumpling potato pancakes.
Safety profile
Potatoes may contain toxic alkaloids, solanine and chaconine. These alkaloids present in the greatest concentrations just underneath the skin and increase proportionately with age and exposure to sun light. Cooking at high temperatures (over 170 °C) partly destroys these toxic substances.
When consumed in sufficient amounts, these compounds may cause headache, weakness, muscle cramps and, in severe cases loss of consciousness and coma; however, poisoning from potatoes occurs very rarely. Exposure to light also causes green discoloration; thus giving a visual clue as areas of the tuber that may have more toxins; however, this does not provide a definitive clue, as greening and solanine accumulation can occur independently to each other. Some varieties contain greater solanine concentrations than others.
When consumed in sufficient amounts, these compounds may cause headache, weakness, muscle cramps and, in severe cases loss of consciousness and coma; however, poisoning from potatoes occurs very rarely. Exposure to light also causes green discoloration; thus giving a visual clue as areas of the tuber that may have more toxins; however, this does not provide a definitive clue, as greening and solanine accumulation can occur independently to each other. Some varieties contain greater solanine concentrations than others.
Potato! - History
The history of the potato has its roots in the windswept Andes Mountains of South America. It is an austere region plagued by fluctuating temperatures and poor soil conditions. Yet the tough and durable potato evolved in its thin air (elevations up to 15,000 feet), climbing ever higher like the people who first settled the region.
The tough pre-Columbian farmers first discovered and cultivated the potato some 7,000 years ago. They were impressed by its ruggedness, storage quality and its nutritional value. Western man did not come in contact with the potato until as late as 1537 when the Conquistadors tramped through Peru. And it was even later, about 1570, that the first potato made its way across the Atlantic to make a start on the continent of Europe.
Though the tuber was productive and hardy, the Spanish put it to very limited use. In the Spanish Colonies potatoes were considered food for the underclasses; when brought to the Old World they would be used primarily to feed hospital inmates.
It would take three decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. Even so the potato was cultivated primarily as a curiosity by amateur botanists. Resistance was due to ingrained eating habits, the tuber's reputation as a food for the underpriveleged and perhaps most importantly its relationship to poisonous plants.
The potato is a member of the nightshade family and its leaves are, indeed, poisonous. A potato left too long in the light will begin to turn green. The green skin contains a substance called solanine which can cause the potato to taste bitter and even cause illness in humans. Such drawbacks were understood in Europe, but the advantages, generally, were not.
Europe would wait until the 1780's before the potato gained prominence anywhere. About 1780 the people of Ireland adopted the rugged food crop. The primary reason for its acceptance in Ireland was its ability to produce abundant, nutritious food. Unlike any other major crop, potatoes contain most of the vitamins needed for sustenance. Perhaps more importantly, potatoes can provide this sustenance to nearly 10 people on an acre of land. This would be one of the prime factors causing a population explosion in the early 1800s. Of course, by the mid-1800's the Irish would become so dependent upon this crop that its failure would provoke a famine.
While in Ireland the potato gained acceptance from the bottom up, in France the potato was imposed upon society by an intellectual. Antoine Augustine Parmentier saw that the nutritional benefits of the crop combined with its productive capacity could be a boon to the French farmer. He was a pharmacist, chemist and employee of Louis XV. Parmentier discovered the benefits of the potato while held prisoner by the Prussians during the Seven Years War. He was so enamored by the potato that he determined that it should become a staple of the French diet. After failing by conventional means to convince Frenchmen of its advantages, he determined upon a surreptitious means of making his point.
Parmentier acquired a miserable and unproductive spot of ground on the outskirts of Paris. There, he planted 50 acres of potatoes. During the day, he set a guard over it. This drew considerable attention in the neighborhood. In the evening the guard was relaxed and the locals came to see what all the fuss was about. Believing this plant must be valuable, many peasants "acquired" some of the potatoes from the plot, and soon were growing the root in their own garden plots. Their resistance was overcome by their curiosity and desire to better their lot with the obviously valuable new produce.
Soon the potato would gain wide acceptance across Europe and eventually make its way back over the Atlantic to North America. As time passed, the potato would become one of the major food stuffs of the world. But not without a few bumps in the road. The 1840's saw disastrous potato blight. This terrible disease was caused by a fungus known as Phytophthora infestans. With the devastation of potato crops throughout Europe came the destruction and dislocation of many of the populations that had become dependent upon it. The Potato Famine in Ireland would cut the population by half (through both starvation and emigration). An effective fungicide was not found until 1883 by the French botanist, Alexandre Millardet.
Today, the potato is so common, plentiful and pervasive in the Western diet that it is taken for granted. We forget that it has only been with us for a few hundred years. For a new appreciation of the potato, check out our sections on its cultivation and preparation.
The tough pre-Columbian farmers first discovered and cultivated the potato some 7,000 years ago. They were impressed by its ruggedness, storage quality and its nutritional value. Western man did not come in contact with the potato until as late as 1537 when the Conquistadors tramped through Peru. And it was even later, about 1570, that the first potato made its way across the Atlantic to make a start on the continent of Europe.
Though the tuber was productive and hardy, the Spanish put it to very limited use. In the Spanish Colonies potatoes were considered food for the underclasses; when brought to the Old World they would be used primarily to feed hospital inmates.
It would take three decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. Even so the potato was cultivated primarily as a curiosity by amateur botanists. Resistance was due to ingrained eating habits, the tuber's reputation as a food for the underpriveleged and perhaps most importantly its relationship to poisonous plants.
The potato is a member of the nightshade family and its leaves are, indeed, poisonous. A potato left too long in the light will begin to turn green. The green skin contains a substance called solanine which can cause the potato to taste bitter and even cause illness in humans. Such drawbacks were understood in Europe, but the advantages, generally, were not.
Europe would wait until the 1780's before the potato gained prominence anywhere. About 1780 the people of Ireland adopted the rugged food crop. The primary reason for its acceptance in Ireland was its ability to produce abundant, nutritious food. Unlike any other major crop, potatoes contain most of the vitamins needed for sustenance. Perhaps more importantly, potatoes can provide this sustenance to nearly 10 people on an acre of land. This would be one of the prime factors causing a population explosion in the early 1800s. Of course, by the mid-1800's the Irish would become so dependent upon this crop that its failure would provoke a famine.
While in Ireland the potato gained acceptance from the bottom up, in France the potato was imposed upon society by an intellectual. Antoine Augustine Parmentier saw that the nutritional benefits of the crop combined with its productive capacity could be a boon to the French farmer. He was a pharmacist, chemist and employee of Louis XV. Parmentier discovered the benefits of the potato while held prisoner by the Prussians during the Seven Years War. He was so enamored by the potato that he determined that it should become a staple of the French diet. After failing by conventional means to convince Frenchmen of its advantages, he determined upon a surreptitious means of making his point.
Parmentier acquired a miserable and unproductive spot of ground on the outskirts of Paris. There, he planted 50 acres of potatoes. During the day, he set a guard over it. This drew considerable attention in the neighborhood. In the evening the guard was relaxed and the locals came to see what all the fuss was about. Believing this plant must be valuable, many peasants "acquired" some of the potatoes from the plot, and soon were growing the root in their own garden plots. Their resistance was overcome by their curiosity and desire to better their lot with the obviously valuable new produce.
Soon the potato would gain wide acceptance across Europe and eventually make its way back over the Atlantic to North America. As time passed, the potato would become one of the major food stuffs of the world. But not without a few bumps in the road. The 1840's saw disastrous potato blight. This terrible disease was caused by a fungus known as Phytophthora infestans. With the devastation of potato crops throughout Europe came the destruction and dislocation of many of the populations that had become dependent upon it. The Potato Famine in Ireland would cut the population by half (through both starvation and emigration). An effective fungicide was not found until 1883 by the French botanist, Alexandre Millardet.
Today, the potato is so common, plentiful and pervasive in the Western diet that it is taken for granted. We forget that it has only been with us for a few hundred years. For a new appreciation of the potato, check out our sections on its cultivation and preparation.