After bread and grain crops, this vegetable is most likely to occupy second place in terms of prevalence. Africa or America, Europe or Asia - regardless of the continent, people all over the world regale it. We are so accustomed to it that we no longer consider it to be something new and, moreover, do not classify it as a delicacy. We are talking about potatoes that have long been known to us. Let us recall the time when it was not so widespread yet, learn about some of the tragedies associated with its loss, and find out why it is still so valued in Russia. However, let's start from where it spread around the world. What became the birthplace of potatoes? Is it Europe or is it another place?
Homeland of potato
It has long been believed that potatoes came to us from South America. The homeland of potatoes is Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Even today, in our time, in the Andes, you can see how potatoes grow in the wild. There, at an altitude of more than a kilometer, you can meet tubers of almost all varieties currently known. According to scientists, in ancient times, Indians in that area could breed and cross varieties of various plants, including potatoes. The very first information about potatoes came from a Spaniard, a member of the military campaign Julian de Castellanos in 1535. According to him, the mealy root of this plant was enjoyed even by the Spaniards. True, few people paid attention to his words. So you can briefly describe how the history of the origin of potatoes (its distribution) began.
How culture got to Europe
The following description of potatoes we find in the "Chronicle of Peru" Pedro Chiesa de Leone. He described this plant in great detail and clearly. The story of the appearance of potatoes interested the king of Spain, who gave the order to bring a huge amount of this overseas product. Thus, thanks to Spain, the homeland of potatoes - South America - supplied this vegetable to all of Europe. At first he came to Italy, and subsequently to Belgium. After that, the mayor of Mons (Belgium) donated several tubers for research to his arc and a friend in Vienna. And only his acquaintance, also a botanist, described potatoes in detail in his work On Plants. Thanks to him, the potato has its own scientific name - Solyanum tuberosum esculentum (nightshade tuberous). Over time, his description of potatoes and the very name of the garden culture became generally recognized.
In Ireland
The time has come for Ireland, and in the 1590s, potatoes got there. There he gained universal recognition due to the fact that he took root well even in relatively unfavorable conditions. Regardless of the climate, wet or dry, soft or variable, regardless of whether the tubers were planted in fertile or non-fertile soil, potatoes bore fruit. Therefore, it spread so much that the 1950s at least a third of the total area suitable for agriculture was planted with potato plantings. More than half of the harvest was directed to people. Thus, the potatoes were eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything would be fine, but suddenly a crop failure would happen? What would the Irish eat in this case? They did not want to think about it.
The consequences of crop failure
If earlier it happened that potatoes did not bring the expected harvest, then some efforts were made to provide the necessary assistance to the victims. And if next year it again turned out to collect the required amount of root crops, this covered the shortcomings of the previous period. So, in 1845 there was another crop failure. However, no one was worried about the causes of the incident. I must say that at that time they still did not know much about late blight, a disease of potato, because of which it was not possible to collect the required amount of vegetable. The fungus that infects tubers causes rotting of potatoes both in the ground and even after harvesting from the fields. In addition, fungal spores of the disease easily spread by airborne droplets. And due to the fact that only one grade potato was planted in Ireland at that time, the entire crop quickly perished. The same thing happened in the next few years, which led initially to unemployment, and then to hunger in the country. Indirectly, this affected the outbreak of cholera, which in 1849 killed more than 36 thousand people. The history of potatoes with such an unfavorable turn of events led to the fact that the state lost more than a quarter of its population.
Potato: the story of the appearance in Russia
Gradually, culture spread to Europe, as we saw in the example of Ireland, and at the very beginning of the eighteenth century it first appeared in Russia. In those years, Peter the Great was in Holland. There he had the opportunity to taste dishes prepared from potatoes (at the time, as today, they did not suspect that the homeland of potatoes is South America). Having tasted the innovation of cooking, the Russian sovereign noted the original taste of potato fruits. Since there was no such delicacy in Russia yet, he decided to send a bag of potatoes to his homeland. Thus began the history of potatoes in Russia.
In the chernozem, as well as in soils of medium acidity, the new culture took root well. However, ordinary people were still apprehensively looking at this miraculous vegetable, because due to ignorance of the correct methods of its preparation, there were numerous cases of poisoning. How to make the spread of potatoes put on a big foot? Peter I was an intelligent man and figured out what can be done for this. Tubers were planted in several fields, and security was set nearby, which served during the day, but left the fields at night. This aroused great curiosity among ordinary peasants, and they began to steal a new vegetable and plant it in their fields at night, until no one sees it. However, the "earthen apple" was still not widespread at that time. There were many who "managed" to pickle its berries. Therefore, the "damn apple" was mostly simple people refused to grow. For as many as 50-60 years, the miracle vegetable was forgotten in Russia.
How potatoes became famous
Later, Catherine II played a big role in making potatoes universally recognized. However, the main impetus for the spread of root crops was the famine that happened in the 1860s. It was then that they remembered everything that had previously been neglected, and were surprised to find that the potato has an excellent taste and is very nutritious. As the saying goes, "there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped."
Here is such an interesting history of potatoes in Russia. So, over time, potato tubers began to be planted throughout the country. Soon, people realized how useful the stock of this vegetable was, especially in times of crop failure. Until now, potatoes are considered the second bread, because, having enough reserves in the cellar, you can live even in difficult times. Thanks to their calorie content and benefits, the first thing that is planted in the garden to this day is potato tubers.
Why is potato so popular in Russia
Since the time of Peter I, people did not immediately learn about the chemical and nutritional value of this root crop for the human body. However, the history of potatoes shows that it contains substances necessary for survival during periods of hunger, disease, and misfortune. What is so valuable and useful in this ordinary root crop? It turns out that his proteins contain almost all amino acids that we could meet in plant foods. Three hundred grams of this vegetable is enough to satisfy the daily intake of potassium, phosphorus and carbohydrates. Potatoes, especially fresh, are rich in vitamin C and fiber. Moreover, it also contains other elements necessary for life, such as iron, zinc, manganese, iodine, sodium and even calcium. Moreover, the most beneficial substances are found in the peel of the potato, which today is very often not eaten. However, during the famine, ordinary people did not neglect it and ate whole potatoes, baked or boiled.
Growing a single potato variety and its consequences
As we already learned, the homeland of potatoes is South America. There farmers acted wisely, planting root crops of different varieties. So, only some of them were susceptible to the disease - fungal late blight. Therefore, even if such varieties died, this would not entail such terrible disasters as in Ireland. The fact that in nature there are varieties of the same culture protects people from this kind of misfortune. However, if you grow fruits of only one variety, this can lead to what happened in Ireland at one time. As well as the use of various chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which especially adversely affect the natural cycles and the environment as a whole.
Why it is profitable to grow only one kind of potato
What, in this case, including in Russia, encourages farmers to grow only one particular sort of potato? This is mainly influenced by salesability and economic factors. Thus, farmers can bet on the beautiful appearance of the fruit, which means more demand from customers. Also, the emergence of a standard culture can be explained by the fact that a certain variety of potatoes in a given locality brings a greater harvest than others. However, as we have learned, such an approach can have far-reaching adverse consequences.
Colorado potato beetle is the main enemy of Russian gardeners
Huge damage to crops can be caused by pests. Every gardener or farmer is very familiar with one species of leaf beetle - this is the Colorado potato beetle. For the first time in 1859, it was discovered how many difficulties this insect can bring to the cultivation of potatoes. And in the 1900s, the beetle reached Europe. When he was brought here by chance, he quickly swept the entire continent, including Russia. Due to its resistance to chemicals that are used to combat it, this beetle is almost the main enemy of every gardener. Therefore, in order to end this pest, in addition to chemicals, they began to use agrotechnical methods. And now in Russia, every summer resident who wants to feast on home-fried potatoes fried or baked in the coals of a bonfire first has to familiarize themselves with simple methods of dealing with this pest.