Main Body
14
Cynthia Smith and Andrew Reeves
INTRODUCTION
DISCOVERY
The age of European expansion was a revolutionary turning point in history as continents, islands and peoples that had existed for millennia in isolation were abruptly brought into contact with the peoples and goods of Eurasia and Africa. European claims of discovery, of course, ignored the glaring fact millions of indigenous people lived in the Americas, Africa and the Pacific at the time of European contact. Nevertheless, from the perspective of those in Europe, Africa and Asia, these new found regions were home to fascinating finds, including unknown American food items such as tomatoes, corn, cacao, tobacco and, most impactful of all, the potato.
Cultivation of the potato originated in the high reaches of the Andes between 3000-2000 BCE. Benefits of the potato were clear from the start. They grew in large amounts and could adapt to diverse climates, thriving best in the cool, moist mountain heights. Potatoes became a principal crop supporting Incan workers and soldiers, particularly in the form of chuño which, when freeze dried in cold altitudes, could be stored for up to 10 years.
Following European ‘discovery’ of this crop, the Spanish introduced potatoes to Europe but the Iberian climate was not conducive to crop success. It was in the colder, wetter climates of Northern Europe that potatoes flourished. Cultivation of potatoes spread to Ireland by the end of the 1500s, to the Lowlands region of Belgium and Netherlands by the 1600s, to France and Central Europe by the 1700s, and potatoes were being grown in Russia by the 1800s. Potatoes had many advantages over European staple crops such as wheat and barley. They withstood more varied and colder climates and did well in thinner soils. Potatoes are also highly nutritious, providing two to four times the calories per acre than grains, as well as supplying more nutrients and vitamins. In addition, planting potatoes significantly increased overall food yields. Traditional grain growing required a third of the field remain fallow each season as a means of weed control. When potatoes were cultivated in fallow fields, food production significantly increased.
Adoption of potatoes reduced the threat of famine, long a dreaded event in grain-dependent European societies. Historian Ferdinand Braudel estimated grain based communities in France experienced 40 country-wide famines between 1500–1800, about 1 every 10 years, a startling figure that did not even include more localized famine episodes. England experienced 17 regional or national famines between 1523–1623. Potato crops became a crucial supplement during these grain failures and in some regions, became the staple crop sustaining populations. In communities from Belgium to Russia, potatoes came to replace bread as a primary food supply; potatoes were cheaper, more nutritious, and less work to prepare. By the end of the 18th century, almost 40% of Irish diets relied on potatoes a