The year of the potato

Here’s a copy of an unusual editorial piece from the Guardian newspaper in praise of solanum tuberosum – the potato. In Uganda, solanum tuberosum is usually known as the Irish potato, in order to clearly differentiate it from the unrelated sweet potato. Going by its origins, it would be more accurate to call it the Andean potato, but I suppose it reflects the tuber’s historical association with Ireland, where it became the principal staple crop in the 18th century – only 200 years after its introduction to Europe as part of the Columbian exchange – which largely involved the exchange of useful New World crops for Old World colonization, disease and slavery…… Unlike most cereal crops, the potato thrived in the poor soils and damp and cool conditions comprising much of Ireland. It is also highly productive and requires little labour after planting. Its adoption led to rapid population growth - at the onset of the Irish famine (caused by potato blight), Ireland’s population was, according to the 1841 census, slightly over 8 million. After the famine, it had fallen to about 5 million as a result of starvation and migration. Even today, its population is only about 6 million which makes it, by my reckoning, one of the very few, if not the only, countries in the world to have had a population decline since the mid-nineteenth century.

A member of the normally toxic nightshade family,“in the wild,[Solanum Tuberosum] is a package of poisonous alkaloids. Stone age agronomists nurtured it, modified its genome and turned it into a staple in the Andes more than 8,000 years ago. Four hundred years ago, Spanish conquistadors brought it to Europe as a curiosity. Milliners used the flowers, soldiers carried it as animal feed and the people of Besançon were convinced that it spread leprosy. Yet, in the past 300 years, the potato has become the world's biggest non-grain staple. It took a trick by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette - they ostentatiously guarded a court crop - to make suspicious Parisians salivate for potage du Barry and potatoes parmentier. In the last two centuries, growers have developed 3,000 varieties and introduced the crop to almost every human habitat. The uber-tuber is hardy, versatile and nourishing. It can be cloned or grown from seed, it may be roasted, fried, baked, boiled or turned into flour, and it can be kept through the winter. It can be served as soup, soufflé, main course, side dish or even as a vodka chaser. King Edward, Desiree, Maris Piper and the other 80 varieties of potato grown in Britain contain almost all the vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and micronutrients necessary for survival. The tuber's blandness may be its strength: dieters may disapprove, but does anybody actively dislike its taste? The United Nations declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato. The celebration is on the wane, but Solanum tuberosum waxes stronger than ever.”

It is fascinating to wonder what drove those stone age Andean agronomists to experiment with and develop the tuber. What techniques did they use? How did they record and analyse the results? How grateful we should be for their perseverance!

On a more mundane level, another thing that interests me is exactly why the Irish potatoes we buy from Kampala markets taste so delicious – and so much better than most European potatoes. Is it because of growing conditions, variety selection or some other factor? Any answers gratefully received.