• General & History
• Health Considerations - amd nutrition
• Links - to more Potato information.

Brought to Europe from Peru in the 1500s, potatoes were first grown as a curiosity in botanical gardens. They were so obviously relatives of the toxic black nightshade they were not at first considered a potential food crop. Actually, the plant is somewhat toxic except the root tubers which are the part we eat.

Germans were the first to take potatoes seriously as food in hopes of suplementing poor wheat crops, but they tried to make bread out of them and that doesn't work ("potato bread" is mostly wheat). Having failed, but with substantial plantings, the Germans tried feeding potatoes to their pigs. The pigs enjoyed them so much the Germans figured that many pigs couldn't be wrong and learned to boil, fry and bake potatoes as vegetables.

From Germany potatoes went to Ireland with shipments of munitions to use on the English, and were introduced to France and the Slavic countries by former residents of German prisnor of war camps where they had been fed potatoes.

While over a hundred varieties of potato are grown in Peru, only a small number are available in our grocery stores. They are devided generally into two categories:

• Baking Potatoes: "Russets" or "Idaho potatoes" with thick rough medium brown skins and dryish, mealy flesh. These have good storage properties and can easily keep for months. As the designation suggests, they are often baked and are preferred for potato salid because they absorb dressing well. They are also the type you want for deep frying, especially for French fries and potato chips.
• Boiling Potatoes come in a variety of colors but all have thin, smooth skins and waxy flesh, Actual performance for boiling is specific to varieties, but they are almost never baked.

Red Rose and similar varieties have a markedly red color, very white flesh and a distinct flavor. These stand up to boiling very well (particularly in the smaller sizes if boiled whol) but are a little crumbly when cut into cubes and slices after cooking. Make sure they are very cold before cutting to minimize this.

Russet [Idaho, Burbank]. While there are many varieties, and the exact variety can be critically important to food processors, they all look pretty much the same in the store, size and price being the main differentiators (small ones sold in bags are much cheaper than large ones sold individually).

Yukon Gold are now all the rage with the gourmet sat and do have some distinct properties other than the yellow color of their flesh. They can be overcooked easily so you have to be careful, but properly cooked they have good flavor, and, most important, are not at all crumbly so they can be cut into very neat cubes and slices.

White are your standard boiling potato, but some hold up better than others. These have a fairly nutral flavor.

Zuchini [Italian squash]
This squash did not come from Italy but was developed in California by the Italian community there..

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