[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Our Story Section” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https://kathysfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Come-on-in-the-fries-are-hot.jpg” title_text=”Come on in the fries are hot!” _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||20px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-35px|||||”]

Much to my delight, I found a store in Italy dedicated to French fries. There is an art to making the perfect fry (or chip depending on your location), and these folks are artists.

Potatoes!

Whoever discovered the potato should be given an award, and whoever sliced and fried them in oil should be given Sainthood.

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Some think the Belgians or French initially discovered the potato (you’d think the Irish). What we know is that the potato first came from South America. They were domesticated in the Andes and spread to Europe in the 1500-1600s. And thank goodness they found their way around the world. In 1537, Spanish conquistadors discovered potatoes in Peru, where the Incas had been growing them since 8,000BC. The Spanish called them truffles. They are a far cry from truffles, the fruit of fungus, but potatoes grow in the ground like truffles. Those adventurous conquistadors returned to Spain with their newly discovered tuber and introduced the plant to Italy and France. Italy had the potato before Ireland! At least that’s one of the stories.

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When exactly did the potato arrive in Ireland? No one knows. Nor do we know who introduced the spud to the island, but we know it was in early 1600. It could have been Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, or John Hawkins; they have all received credit at some point. As we know, the Irish became dependent on the potato, and the potato famine in 1845 (the Great Hunger), killed one million people, and another million fled the country.

It’s likely the French started frying spuds in the 1790s (“French” fries!”) and, in part, helped promote the potato throughout Europe. Before this, the French thought they were indigestible, could cause leprosy and were even poisonous. They only fed them to the hogs. Sacrilege!!

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Then along came Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (1737– 1813). He was an army medic captured five times (5 times?! Ouch.) during the Seven Year War against Prussia (1756–63). As a prisoner of war, he was fed a diet of potatoes. And when he did not get sick he realized potatoes had the potential to be a nutritious and abundant crop. When he returned to France, he completed his pharmacy training and went on to study the potato. That’s not all he did, of course, but it’s one thing where we owe him much gratitude.

Over 100 countries cultivate the plant and have created 4,000 varieties. Potatoes are now the third most important food crop in the world after wheat and rice. It is more water-efficient than the grain crops, an essential quality in drought-prone areas. The versatility of the potato is far greater than wheat and rice, plus it’s gluten-free.

In the 1990s, a “vicious campaign” against carbohydrates began and this gave potatoes a bad name. There is nothing wrong with the potato. In fact, they are a great source of potassium, fiber, magnesium, Vitamin B-6, calcium, and protein… and comfort.

Today a wide variety of potatoes are available and we prepare them in many different dishes. They are served at breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks around the world.

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We have baked, mashed, scalloped, au gratin, gnocchi, Latkes, hassel-back, roasted, steamed, boiled, and fried potatoes. We grate, wedge, slice, dice, cube the potato for stews, casseroles, sauté, stir-fry, and soups. But most of all we have FRENCH FRIES!

A shop specializing in french fries? Genius!!

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