Originating from the highlands of the Andes, South America, potatoes were introduced to Europe in the sixteenth century. They were initially popular in Spain because they provided cheap sustenance for the poor.
When did potatoes become popular in America?
18th Century A.D. 1719 – Potatoes had been introduced to the United States several times throughout the 1600s. They were not widely grown for almost a century until 1719, when they were planted in Londonderry, New Hampshire, by Scotch-Irish immigrants, and from there spread across the nation.
Why did the potato suddenly become popular?
Alcohol and famine contributed to the potato's popularity. For 250 years this root vegetable has saved Norwegians from hunger and scurvy. Not even modern diet fads, such as various low-carb diets, can wean the average Norwegian off the humble spud.
When did people start eating potatoes in England?
On this day in 1586, Sir Thomas Harriot brought the first potato back to Britain from the 'New Found Land of Virginia'. We've been in love ever since. If there was ever a vegetable that has helped shape our national destiny, it's the humble spud.
When did potatoes start to spread around the world?
More than that, as the historian William H. McNeill has argued, the potato led to empire: “By feeding rapidly growing populations, [it] permitted a handful of European nations to assert dominion over most of the world between 1750 and 1950.” The potato, in other words, fueled the rise of the West.
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