Even the most devoted lovers of potatoes out there will surely find some new tidbit of potato information contained within! Writer Diego Arguedas Ortiz has put together a veritable root cellar of interesting information about the crop that food historian Rebecca Earle, interviewed by Ortiz for the story, calls the “world’s most successful immigrant.” For example, did you know about the International Potato Center? (I did not.) Based in Peru, from whence the mighty potato originally hails, it’s a “research-for-development organization with a focus on potato, sweet potato, and Andean roots and tubers. It delivers innovative science-based solutions to enhance access to affordable nutritious food, foster inclusive sustainable business and employment growth, and drive the climate resilience of root and tuber agri-food systems.”
Ortiz also addresses why the potato has become such a staple of diets the world over (though this is just the tip of the iceberg).