Potato - The Common Delicacy That Changed the World

Author: Zackerman
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The potato is a stable, reliable, and nutritious crop. It is absolutely not a minor player; its importance in Western social history is not inferior to that of cars and railways. The Great Irish Famine of the 1840s was caused by large-scale potato crop failures, hence it was called the "Potato Famine." Today, the potato is an important staple food for Americans and Europeans. However, when it first arrived on the European continent two centuries ago, it was once mocked for its bumpy appearance and its identity as a "tuber"—many considered it food for the lower classes. Author Larry Zackerman, drawing on extensive research, outlines the extraordinary history of the potato from social, political, economic, and human relationship perspectives.