National Tater Day

That's right. Today is National Tater Day, not National Potato Day. I guess country jargon is now recognized nationally. However, potatoes probably deserve some recognition. Do you remember the story of how they got to Ireland?

The potato was first domesticated in Peru, and it was a staple for the Inca Indians. But the Indian nations were great traders, and the potato gradually worked its way along trade routes to get to the native populations of what is now North Carolina (first known as Virginia). They were there when the Roanoke voyages came. When one of the expeditions took a sample back to England, Sir Walter Raleigh (who had sponsored the voyage), presented them to Queen Elizabeth. She ordered them sent to her estate in Ireland to see if they would grow there, and grow there they did. In fact, they eventually became known as the Irish potato. Like the Inca, the Irish began to depend on them. When the potato blight hit in the 1800's, a great famine resulted, and it encouraged immigration. Many Americans have Scotch-Irish ancestry from this bit of history. In addition, Spanish explorers may have also taken potatoes to Spain from South America around the same time period. Sir Francis Drake may have been another source as he returned from sailing about the globe.

When I visited Peru several years ago, I realized how many varieties of potatoes there are. Many sources say there are nearly 4,000 kinds. The markets of Peru certainly displayed many different types. Yet, I could probably count the varieties I was familiar with in the United States on my fingers.

Much like corn, the potato is adaptable to many conditions and climates. There are records of them even being used raw to feed livestock through the winter in regions where crops could be a problem, like the Appalachians in the early years of settlement. In fact, Leah talks of doing this in my upcoming novel set there during the Civil War, because supplies had become so scarce. Potatoes were also easy to store and normally kept over the winter months. They became an important food source in many cultures. How do you like your potatoes best?

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