Arthapal or Earth apple

The magical Potatoes:

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

Potatoes, in whatsoever form, fried potatoes, whipped potatoes, baked potatoes, canned potatoes - are such a common food that we have failed to appreciate them because we are over familiar with them. The potatoes used as food have to be processed before they are eaten. This wonderful tuber accounts for at least 53 different types of food products namely canned potatoes, potato chips, frozen french fried potatoes, and dehydrated, pre-peeled potatoes. The irish potato is the most important type grown and a basic food for millions throughout the world.

The potato, which is grown in more than 80 countries, has superlative food value with carbohydrates being the largest concentration. The potato contains comparatively lower amount of protein and is conspicuous for the absence of fat concentration in it.

A medium sized, unpeeled, boiled potato provides considerable amount of vitamin C some minerals especially potassium and as mush as 120 calories. The food value of potatoes is influenced by different conditions of soil, temperature, fertilization, climate and different varieties. To retain the maximum nutritional value, the potatoes should be boiled with the skin unpeeled as most of the minerals and vitamins are present in the skin. The amount of vitamin C drastically drops as potatoes remain in storage however. The "variety" of potatoes determines the texture and taste which bring in more and more "Potato lovers" to the world food arena. Potato is grown for dual purposes in European countries and in U. S. A. in particular, where people use it for food and livestock feed. Extra Potatoes and those too poor to use for food are manufactured into alcohol, distilled liquors, starch and flour. It is found out that majority of people prefer mealy potatoes which contain a high percentage of dry matter, to soggy potatoes.

Like tomatoes, eggplant and tobacco, the potato plant is member of night shade family. The plant bears white, rose, purple or blue flowers and fruit which cases 100 to 200 seeds.

Under highly favourable conditions for growth, a potato plant will produce bigger tubers within 3 months of planting. Somewhat acid soil is the ideal type for luxuriant growth of the plant because acidity prevents the potato from contracting "Potato Scab", a bacterial decease. It is more prone to diseases than any other plant is.

China is the leading producer of potatoes which is responsible for more than 20 percent of the world's total out put. Potato traces its history back to the middle of 1500's , when the Spanish invaded South America and found the white potato being grown by people of the Andes. Once in Ireland, there was a horrible potato blight which practically left all the potato crop destroyed. As a tragic consequence, around 1.5 million people in lreland died of starvation and others were compelled to emigrate. The unprecedented trend for eating potatoes throughout the world is one of the pronounced landmarks of agriculture. Today, potato is ranked the world's second most important food crop losing its place to grains.

Remember! you must take special care to store potatoes in a cool, dry place. Excessive exposure to light causes the potato skin turn green, which leads a bitter substance called solanin accumulate in the skin making potatoes unfit for eating.