You enjoy eating it, and for Indians, it is a vital component of every cuisine. Starting with your Aloo Paratha and continuing with the mouthwatering Samosa, Vada Pav, and tikkis. All potato preparations are beloved in India, whether they are boiled, roasted, baked, or fried. The traditional Indian vegetarian diet emphasises vegetables, and potatoes are a staple ingredient. Potatoes are a staple in our diet and can be used in a veggie or curry dish or consumed on their own as fried fritters. However, potatoes did not originate in the peninsular nation, despite being a staple of practically every Indian dish. Here are a few of the many interesting potato facts you probably didn't know.
The potato, or Solanum tuberosum, is an annual nightshade plant (Solanaceae) farmed for its starchy edible tubers. One of the principal food crops grown worldwide is the potato, which is native to the Peruvian-Bolivian Andes. Potatoes are usually eaten whole or mashed as a cooked vegetable. They are also processed into potato flour, which is used in baking and as a sauce thickening. The tubers include vitamin C, protein, thiamin, and niacin and are extremely digestible.
Origin
Around 8,000 BC to 5,000 BC, the Inca Indians of Peru were the first to produce potatoes. Spanish Conquistadors in Peru in 1536 discovered the potato's tastes and brought them back to Europe. It took approximately 40 years for potatoes to reach the rest of Europe after Sir Walter Raleigh introduced them to Ireland in 1589. When the governor of the Bahamas sent a gift basket containing potatoes to the governor of the colony of Virginia in the 1620s, potatoes first made their way to the colonies.
Potatoes were introduced to the northern colonies in small amounts, but they did not catch on until Thomas Jefferson gave them the aristocratic seal of approval by serving them to visitors at the White House. After that, the popularity of the potato grew rapidly, helped along by a continual influx of Irish immigrants to the new country.
Here Are Some Potato Facts
The potato was cultivated in space for the first time in October 1995. The technique was developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with the intention of feeding astronauts on lengthy space missions and, eventually, future space colonies.
Sorry, Southerners, but these vegetables do not technically belong to the potato family. According to LaCourse, sweet potatoes are actually swollen roots that are members of the morning glory family, sometimes referred to as the convolvulaceae family. They are not linked to Irish potatoes. So, there you have it. Like the strawberry that is not a berry, the sweet potato is full of deception.
A 100-gram serving of potatoes contains 75 grams of water, 19 grams of carbs (including 2.2 grams of dietary fibre and 15 grams of starch), 2 grams of protein, 0.1 gram of fat, and trace levels of numerous vitamins (including C, E, K, and B6), minerals, and metals (magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and more).
After wheat, corn, and rice, potatoes are the fourth most produced staple in the world. And the second-most popular food in the US, after milk.
In order to preserve potatoes, you must first dry them out after harvesting if you are growing them. For those of you who recently purchased a dozen at the market, you don't need to wash the potatoes before storing them. In fact, doing so damages the protective skin, thus it is preferable to keep the dirt-covered potato in a cool, dry, and dark area. This should give them a lifespan of around six months, giving you more than enough time to get through the winter.
