The PotatoHow the Humble

Spud Rescued theWestern World

The PotatoHow the Humble

Spud Rescued theWestern World

Larry Zuckerman

Zuckerman’s Thesis

“It [the potato] resolved or made more manageable so many problems of time, space, labor, land fuel, and income that, without it, daily existence would have been unrecognizable.”

Origin of the Potato

Spanish 1570

Chilean coast, central Andean highlands

Benefitshigh yield, little work

hardy

weak soil

weather that would ruin other grains.

very healthy

fodder

few utensils needed

easily cooked

Reception

many preferred sweet potato over this

“Only the wretched eat this root.”

no seeds

sent by the devil

Ireland (1650-1845)1640s

oats and butter

quickly took to the potato

still a social marker

easily accessible

climate

lack of tools

potato in gridlock with land & poverty

encouraged marriage

Ireland (1845-49)

potato famine

blight

much dependence on the staple

hostility and selfishness

moral plague

lack of government help

France (1650-1914)although more vegetables, a bigger fear

of a “deadly nightshade”

lower classes

upper classes embarrassed

land and identity linked

no lazy associations

“A Passion for Thrift”

“thrift, simplicity, and self denial”

French fries 1870

Americaaccepted immediately

highly sought after / everywhere

variety of meals

first cookbook

kitchens / extensive meal process

eating was “serious business”

potato chips 1850

England (1650-1900)

staples: bread and meat

mixed breads avoided

meal stretchers

associated with the Irish

Food for the Poor

associated with laziness

food snobbery

street eating

disguised

“He Would Rather Be Hanged”

supported laborers

Acceptance

urban working class

fish and chips - the new potato

welcomed by housewives

World War I

from contempt to under the radar

ConclusionThe adoption of potato came about as time and space began to shrink. Although outwardly ugly and unappealing, despite holding no connections to history, and being a quick meal, the potato fit into the rapidly expanding and fast-paced world we know today.