Facts About Potatoes

Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Potatoes?

If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…

It’s time to chat about Potatoes facts.

Let’s dive right in…

1 – Potatoes are a staple food for many cultures. In fact, potatoes provide more than half of all the vegetable servings in the U.S., and they’re also one of America’s top 5 vegetables.

2 – The potato is native to South America, where it was first cultivated by Inca Indians for food.

3 – There are more than 4,000 different types of potatoes grown around the world.

4 – A medium-sized potato contains about 110 calories and almost no fat or cholesterol.

5 – Potatoes contain potassium which helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

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6 – The word “potato” is believed to originate from a Spanish term meaning “starchy thing” or “earth apple.”

7 – The potato was introduced to Europe by Sir Walter Raleigh, who brought them back from Ireland in 1589.

8 – The first potato chip was created by accident when a customer at Moon’s Lake House restaurant asked for fried potatoes and was served sliced potatoes instead of chips.

9 – The average American eats about 130 pounds of spuds per year, or around 7 pounds each month.

10 – A single acre of potatoes produces about 10 tons of potatoes.

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11 – In 2008, Peru exported more than 1 million tons of potatoes.

12 – The latest potato weighed 4.98kg and was grown by Peter Glazebrook in the UK on September 4^th 2011.

13 – Potatoes have more potassium than bananas and broccoli combined.

14 – In Ireland and Scotland, potatoes were traditionally served at funerals because they were considered to be an inexpensive dish that would feed a large number of people.

15 – The potato is the world’s fourth most important crop, just behind wheat, rice and maize.

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16 – Potatoes have been around for at least 5000 years and were first domesticated in South America but now grow all over the world including North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

17 – Potatoes can be prepared in many different ways, including mashed potatoes, French fries, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, or even boiled whole for a healthy side dish.

18 – The most common potato is the Russet Burbank Potato.

19 – Potatoes grow underground and come out as small green shoots that turn into flowers before they become tubers or potatoes (this process takes about four months).

20 – Potatoes were introduced to Europe by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1586 when he brought them back from America.

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21 – In Ireland alone there are more than 300 varieties of potatoes grown.

22 – Don’t eat your potato raw as it’s likely to cause tummy problems and real digestive issues due to a harmful toxic compound called solanine, which causes headaches, diarrhoea and nausea.

23 – A potato is an edible tuber that belongs to the nightshade family and is part of the Solanaceae plant genus.

24 – The world’s largest potato chip factory is located in Roseau County, Minnesota.

25 – The first potato was discovered by the Inca Indians in Peru.

French fries were invented in either Belgium or France around 1789 during the outbreak of the French Revolution, where they were sold by street vendors of a few pieces of fried potato.

In 1853, Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson created the first successful variety of white potatoes for mass production in North America.

Potatoes can be grown practically anywhere and require very little maintenance or upkeep.

Facts About Potatoes – 25 Fun Potatoes Facts That Will WOW You!