2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Potatoes are among the most widely produced crops in the world, after wheat, rice and corn and fourth in terms of raw production.
Homeland of potatoes is South America, in present-day Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Potatoes are an important part of the Andean industry, farmers grow many varieties with a variety of colors and shapes. They spread to the rest of the world after Europeans met America between the 15th and 16th centuries. More than 200 wild species are found in South America.
The word for Quechua potato (an Indian people inhabiting South America, heir to the cultural traditions of the Inca state) is "papa". The first country to which potatoes were brought was Spain in the 16th century, and from there to the rest of Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. The etymology of the word, as well as the Russian "potato" and the German "Kartoffel", comes from the Italian name "tartufoli", given to potatoes because they were likened to truffles.
The English "potato" comes from the Spanish word "batata" - "sweet potato". Sweet potatoes are very different from ordinary potatoes and were cultivated much earlier by Christopher Columbus himself, who brought them from the Caribbean.
Another commonly used name for potatoes is "pomme de terre" in French, "תפוח אדמה" ("tapuach adama") in Hebrew and Erdapfel in German).
Potatoes are a rich source of vitamin C and potassium if consumed with the peel. In their homeland to date have more than 2000 varieties, but depending on the processing, we can divide them into the following species:
Potatoes for cooking - with a more moist and smooth inside, which retain their shape during cooking.
Baking potatoes - drier and breadier, easily decomposed during heat treatment.
Fresh potatoes - they have a higher water content. They are most often used for cooking and salads.
Red potatoes - with a lower starch content, which makes them suitable for cooking, baking, making soups, salads and hot.
How to prepare potatoes for cooking?
If the potatoes are fresh, remove the skin with a coarser cloth or brush, and if they are older, peel them. Cut if there are green parts on the tubers.
Method of preparation:
If you want to bake the potatoes whole, pierce them with a fork in several places and bake at a temperature of 200 degrees for an hour and a half. To boil them you need to cover them with cold water, salt them, and when they turn, leave them on low heat for 10-20 minutes.
To do sautéed potatoes, it is necessary to blanch cut for about 5-10 minutes, drain and dry. Then they should be placed in an oiled pan and fried until golden. If you want to make potato chips, cut them into sticks, pour cold water over them for at least 30 minutes, drain them, dry them and cook them in small portions in hot fat at about 190 degrees.
An interesting fact is that in recent years the varietal selection of potatoes around the world has created several species of red and yellow potatoes with a particularly expressive color. Scientists have even gone further - they have created amazing varieties of blue and green potatoes. Although the color fades after cooking, combining several colors of potatoes would make an interesting salad. Unfortunately, colored potatoes are commercially available in the United States and are not currently known in undefined potatoes.
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