Potato Facts
A Short List Of Interesting Potato Facts
From baked and loaded, to french fries, the potato, facts say, is a very versatile vegetable.
• Most potato growers believe that Peru is the original home of the potato, but most potatoes grown today are related to a type that is native to Chile. It is possible that the potato was grown in Chile over ten thousand years ago!
• The potato, facts state, was taken to Europe in the 1500's, and from there, the vegetable spread to the rest of the world through mariners from Europe, traveling abroad. In the beginning of European growing, there weren't many varieties, so the vegetable was left vulnerable when the “late blight”, a plant disease, spread through Ireland. This caused the failure of crops that led to the Great Irish Potato Famine.
• The typical person in the world today consumes an average of seventy-three pounds of potatoes a year. The fastest expansion of potato farming in the last thirty years has mainly occurred in eastern and southern Asia. China is the world's leading producer of potatoes, followed by Russia, India and the United States.
• One medium sized potato, facts confirm, has almost thirty percent of the Vitamin C your body needs on a daily basis. It is also an excellent source of Vitamin B6, potassium, dietary fiber, Tryptophan, copper and manganese.
• Potatoes are healthier if they're not processed into greasy fries or chips. The baked potato, minus a lot of the extras you like to load on it, is actually very healthy and a good food choice. Potatoes have flavonoids that protective your body from respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
• Potato facts state that they also contain quercetin and kukoamines, which can help lower your blood pressure. Potatoes also are a good source of Vitamin B6, which helps your body at the cell-building level, to form healthy cells.
• Normally, people buy potatoes in plastic bags, but it's actually better for you to buy them individually, even though the cost may be higher. Buying from the bulk potato racks will allow you to select individual potatoes that look the best. It also will allow you to end up with more usable potatoes, since the process of bagging them sometimes leads to a moisture build-up that can damage the potatoes.
• A potato, facts state, should be firm, fairly smooth and shaped well. Don't buy potatoes with green sprouts coming out of them – this indicates that they may have solanine in them. Solanine is a toxic alkaloid that can cause various health conditions, including respiratory and circulatory problems, headaches, depression and diarrhea.
• You can puree cooked potatoes, and add garlic and olive oil. This will make tasty garlic potatoes.
• You can take steamed and diced potatoes and toss them with olive oil and herbs to make another great-tasting potato dish. The potato is very versatile – try one today!