The perfect potato
There is probably no more versatile vegetable in the world than the potato. Boiled, roasted, mashed, chipped and baked, it is a household favourite across the world. Nutritionists rate potato protein higher in quality than that of the soybean, and a single potato can supply half the daily vitamin C requirements of an adult, as well as being rich in many of the B vitamins and iron. If eaten without fatty toppings, the potato is a slimming treat as it is 99.9% fat free and a medium-sized potato provides only a handful of kilojoules.
The potato yields more nutritious food more quickly on less land and in harsher climates than any major crops such as wheat, corn or rice. On average it matures faster than any of these staples, and is so hardy and adaptable that potatoes grow from below sea level in Holland to the chilly heights of the Andes and Himalayas, from the Arctic Circle to the scorching heat of Australia and Africa. Only in the sweaty humidity of the jungle will the potato wilt and fade. The potato is the second most-widely distributed crop in the world after maize, and in South Africa, the potato is the single most important vegetable, ranking fifth in value after field crops such as maize, wheat, hay crops and sugar cane.
South Africa exports potatoes to the neighbouring states and into Africa as far north as Zambia, as well as to islands in the Indian Ocean, with these exports meeting the exacting standards of export regulations. The Midlands is an important area for the South African potato industry, for it is here that both seed and table potatoes are grown, with the Kamberg area west of Nottingham Road and Mooi River arguably the prime seed potato-producing region in southern Africa (KZN produces 25% of South Africa’s seed potatoes). Initially developed under sterile laboratory conditions, seed-potatoes are disease-free potato tubers for reproducing healthy plants and therefore a healthy potato crop. Diseases that are airborne, or found in the soil or the potato plant itself, can dramatically affect yields. Seed potatoes are sold to commercial potato-growers, who produce the potatoes that we put on the table.
Commercial potato growing conditions are different to those required by seed potato-growers, and so, while seed potatoes are found in areas where high altitudes and crisp cold spells ensure disease-free environments, commercial potatoes are grown in areas with mild conditions, with even temperatures and well-balanced moisture supply, such as the Tala Valley, Camperdown, Lions River, Ixopo, Mount Currie and Weenen. Because of the intensive, hands-on nature of potato growing, especially seed potato farming, the potato industry is one of the province’s most important sources of employment.
While commercial potato farmers are able to produce crops each year, the seed potato farmer has a more sensitive and vulnerable crop. If disease enters a seed potato area, its potential to produce healthy seed potatoes is ruined, with some diseases able to lie dormant for more than 40 years. Consequently, great care is dedicated to preserving the pristine nature of soils and plants, with co-operation between neighbouring farmers an important factor. This additional vigilance results in higher production costs, with more specialised products and higher labour requirements throughout the year. In addition, seed potatoes may only be grown in land after a four-year rest period between crops. So, while seed potatoes offer farmers higher commercial rewards, the overheads and difficulties seem to be far greater, with the seed potato farmer sometimes having to wait for years before reaching the selling phase.
The potato is used for far more than eating. It can be distilled into vodka and aquavit, processed into starch, paste and dye, and can even be converted into fuel for vehicles. When Henry Ford first entered the automobile business, he predicted that the world would soon run out of cheap petroleum. He ordered potatoes from Europe to make alcohol for fuel, but his idea never met with any success, although research has shown that an acre of potatoes can yield 1200 gallons of ethyl alcohol annually.
Potato processing is a worldwide method used to preserve fresh products for future use, with the added advantage that many variations in taste and appearance can be created, ranging from frozen chips to baby food, mixed vegetables and potato crisps. Inspired by Peruvian Indians, who, over 2000 years ago, made a ready-to-serve dehydrated potato product that could be stored for up to four years, processing involves reducing the moisture content of the potato. It is estimated that over 250 000 tonnes of potatoes are used in this growth sector of the industry, roughly 15% or more of the total South African potato crop.
Westerners first saw the potato when conquistador Francisco Pizarro and his men overran Peru in the 1530s. Called papa by the native Indians, when introduced to Europe over the next 50 years, the potato was cursed as an ‘evil’ food by a population that was superstitious and wary of the unknown. The potato was associated with other members of the botanical family Solanaceae, which includes hallucinogenic and deadly relatives such as mandrake and deadly nightshade, which contain alkaloid poisons. Nervous Europeans shunned the potato and its cousin the tomato, another of the Solanaceae. The Scots refused to eat it because it wasn’t mentioned in the Bible, and leprosy, consumption, rickets and other ills were attributed to the potato. In the early 19th century, poet Lord Byron wrote of the ‘sad result of passions and potatoes’, reflecting a conviction of the time that potatoes had damaging aphrodisiac effects. For more than 200 years the potato remained simply a botanical curiosity in Europe, but by the 18th century it began to be accepted by the masses and provided the food surplus necessary for the population expansion that fuelled Europe’s industrial growth.
So dependent did the poor of the west become on their diet of potatoes, that the potato famine of 1845-1851 depleted the Irish population, which had exploded after the introduction of the potato to more than eight million people, with a density greater than modern-day China. The potato formed the staple diet for the Irish peasant, with an average male eating between 4-7kg of potatoes a day. Then an unknown disease, the fungus known today as Phytophthora infestans, struck down the potato. Harvested tubers as well as those still in the ground rotted away, causing a stench that could be smelled across the countryside. Although Ireland was hardest hit, potato crops failed across Europe, and mass starvation was followed by illness and disease. Six years of famine in Ireland led to a million deaths, and more than a million Irish fled to North America. Many died at sea on overcrowded, under stocked vessels that became known as ‘coffin ships’. American charities raised large sums to relieve the plight of the Irish, but the massive flood of impoverished immigrants soon strained the welcome of their new homeland. By the end of the century, steady emigration and a lowered birth rate had halved Ireland’s population. Disease-free potato stock from South America revived the potato harvest, and today Ireland’s per capita potato consumption is only topped by that of Eastern Europe.
The potato’s genus, Solanum includes more than 2000 species, of which about 160 are tuber-bearing, although only a small fraction of the potato’s genetic diversity is known outside of South America. But even the few species that are known in the west could play an important role in the alleviation of world hunger. ‘The potato is a forgotten crop in a world with a grain mentality,’ says one scientist. Even the ancient Incas were aware of the great potential of their basic food. When they prayed, they prayed for potatoes:
O Creator! Thou who givest life to all things and hast made men that they may live, and multiply. Multiply also the fruits of the earth, the potatoes and other food that thou hast made, that men may not suffer from hunger and misery.
Let us not overlook or underestimate the importance of the familiar potato. There’s far more to it than meets the eye…
This story first appeared in The Quill newspaper (no longer in operation). Used here with permission of the author and publisher.