Potatoes

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), also called dialect potatoes and patties are perennial plants of the potato family (Solanaceae). This plant, widely distributed and loved by billions of people around the world, is of American origin, but today it is grown all over the world because of its incredibly nutritious and delicious starchy tubers.

There are about 200 wild varieties of potatoes, widespread in the United States, the highlands of Mexico, Central America and the Andes to Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The Mexican Transvolcanic Belt, near Mexico City and the southern central Andes, is considered to be the "kingdom of potatoes" because it has the greatest species diversity.

Potatoes are a slightly pretentious crop because they originate in the lowlands of the Andes and grow best and fertilely in cool climates with sufficient rainfall or irrigation. That is why Western Europe is a very suitable place for growing potatoes.

Tons of potatoes also come from the subtropical lowlands of the Indo-Gangetic Plain in South Asia, and potatoes and their varieties such as sweet potatoes and sweet potatoes are widespread in the highlands of southwestern China and in the equatorial highlands of Java.

Potatoes are the most widespread and most cultivated root crop in the world, and rank fourth in terms of raw production immediately after rice, wheat and corn. Potato production in the world is about 350 million tons per year, and the average person eats about 33 kg of potatoes a year.

Eastern and Central Europe has the highest per capita potato production. Among the world's largest producers of potatoes in the world are China, Russia, India, USA and others.

History of potatoes

The history of potatoes began almost four thousand years ago, when in its current form, they were cultivated by the then inhabitants of Peru. The famous tribes of this region - Mocha, Chimu and the Incas are known to have cultivated even more hardy varieties of potatoes.

In the region, which includes Bolivia, Peru and Chile, potato flour is made, called a miracle, which is used to make pastries and other foods.

Spanish explorers and conquerors who reached the shores of South America, carry the potatoes to other countries and continents. They also found that potatoes could actually support sailors on long voyages, such as crossing the Atlantic.

However, potatoes do not receive good reception and recognition when they reach Europe. Associated with the tribes, they were considered unhealthy, unclean and even "non-Christian". Later, however, the belief emerged that the potato tuber contains aphrodisiac properties, which makes this vegetable popular.

Later, its healing properties were added to the list of its virtues, and then the Spaniards began to like it in taste and in fact became the first people in Europe who actually considered potatoes for a delicacy. The process of perception of potatoes lasts almost a century. Until the mid-seventeenth century, most European countries accepted them as part of their table.

Composition of potatoes

Potatoes are a very good source of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins. They contain high levels of vitamin C, especially in freshly picked potatoes. However, these nutritious roots are not very suitable for diets because they have a high glycemic index. Despite conflicting opinions on this issue, potatoes are a healthy food. Their high content of fiber and potassium makes them a favorite vegetable on the table of many nations, and separately contain enviable levels of iodine.

Recent research has shown that when it comes to the amount of fat and sodium in potatoes, the worries are false. Potatoes contain very little fat and sodium, unless they are added during cooking. Green potatoes contain amounts of solanine. Solanine is a substance that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness or itching. Solanine is one of the two toxic compounds in potatoes known as glycoalkaloids, and the other is chaconine.

Everyone medium-sized potato provides about 110 calories, almost 3 grams of protein, almost zero fat, 23 grams of carbohydrates, almost 2.7 grams of dietary fiber and 750 milligrams of noble potassium.

Selection and storage of potatoes

When the choice of potatoes it is necessary to select those that are firm and well-shaped. You should not buy potatoes that are green or sprouted. It is best to always take advantage of fresh potatoes, because only they guarantee you high levels of vitamin C and low levels of toxic solanine.

Choose healthy and uninjured tubers with a light skin color. Potatoes need to be stored in a cool place away from light. They should not be stored in the refrigerator and should be cleaned well before cooking.

Culinary use of potatoes

As one of the most widespread products and root vegetables, potatoes seem to be an integral part of our table. They have several advantages as food - they are nutritious, satiate quickly, and have a wide range of culinary manipulation. In other words, potatoes can be prepared in countless ways. The most common are french fries, which are probably the most popular side dish in the world.

Whether you bake the potatoes with spices, boil them for a potato salad, mash them or saute them with a little dill and garlic, it is practically a guarantee that you will get an appetizing dish with potatoes in all cases.

The potatoes are added in many types of casserole, they are used to make potato pancakes and potato meatballs, croquettes, traditional patatnik, potato soups, pastries and various meat dishes such as chicken with potatoes, pork with potatoes, beef with potatoes, and why not tender lamb with potatoes.. The favorite of many of us potato ogreten is impossible without the presence of potatoes. These delicious root vegetables are a traditional ingredient of the native moussaka. The variations of the potato roll are indescribably many. Sweet potatoes are tasty enough, even if only cooked with a little salt.

Benefits of potatoes

It is known that in fact the leaves of potatoes are poisonous because they belong to the family of dog grapes. But it is a fact that potatoes contain almost all the nutrients needed for subsistence. The positive nutritional value of potatoes includes high in fiber, potassium and low in fat. Research shows that potatoes are one of the best sources of fiber, which in turn helps lower cholesterol.

Studies also show that a diet that includes foods such as potatoes rich in potassium helps reduce the risk of stroke and lowers blood pressure. Boiling and boiling potatoes reduces the amount of potassium in them. To store nutrients, potatoes are best prepared baked or stewed.

Potatoes are beneficial to humans not only as food and medicine, but they are also a raw material for many other products such as starch, flour, ethyl alcohol, dextrin and feed.

Harm from potatoes

Although in practice potatoes are eaten in industrial quantities by all of us, no one is insured against potato poisoning, which is not uncommon. Toxic glycoalkaloids are concentrated in high concentrations just below the skin of the tuber, and the older the potato, the more solanine in it increases. Solanine is considered a poison that affects the nervous system and causes weakness and confusion.

If you eat old and green potatoes, it is possible that you will get headaches, diarrhea, seizures, and the most serious cases are coma and even death. Potato poisoning is related to the amount of these toxic compounds. However, this does not mean that if your potatoes have started to turn green, you will definitely be poisoned. The truth is that greening and accumulation of glycoalkaloids can occur independently of each other. Higher concentrations of these poisonous compounds are found in some varieties of potatoes.