Potato (The Common Delicacy That Changed the World)

Author: None
Publisher:
Publishing Date: None
Features: The potato is a stable, reliable, and nutritious crop, far from being a minor player. Its importance in Western social history is second only to that of cars and railways—The Great Irish Famine of the 1840s was caused by large-scale potato crop failures, hence the name "Potato Famine." Today, the potato is a staple food for Americans and Europeans, but 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 Zuckerman, drawing on extensive research, outlines the extraordinary history of the potato from social, political, economic, and human relationship perspectives.