28 Jan 2012

A global history of potatoes

From This Way Up, 1:15 pm on 28 January 2012
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Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

Culinary historian Andrew Smith reveals the captivating story of a once lowly vegetable that has changed and continues to change – the world.

First domesticated by prehistoric people in the Andes, the potato has since been adopted by cultures around the globe.

For instance, the potato was aggressively adopted by cooks in India and China, where it has become a dietary staple. In fact, these two countries now stand as the world’s largest potato producers.

Nonetheless, despite its popularity, in this era of both fast food and health consciousness, the potato is now suffering negative publicity regarding its low nutritional value.

Its health benefits continue to be debated, especially considering that the potato is most often associated with the ubiquitous but high-calorie french fry.