The first home of the potato was in South America. There it
was found wild. Sometimes we call it the white potato, in
order that we may know it from the sweet potato. Often it is
called the Irish potato. Do you know why? It is because the
people of Ireland use so many potatoes. It was carried to Ire-
land from our own country over 300 years ago. It is now the
principal food among the Irish peasants.
We found that potatoes contain a great deal of starch. Much
of the starch we use comes from potatoes. This useful, home-
ly, everyday vegetable is found in almost ever country. It
has been used in France for a long time.
Shall I tell you about what happened to the first potato eaten
in France? Well, a long, long time ago the Spaniards came to
South America. They noticed that the people ate, and almost
lived upon, what they thought was the large root of a vegetable
called "battata." Battata means "papa" in our language. The
Spaniards sent some of the battata to their friends in Spain,
and these friends sent them to Italy, another country near
France. Finally some were sent to Belgium, to the mayor of
Nons, which is almost in France.
The mayor liked the king of France very much, and wanted
to send him a rare gift. So what did he do but send him a
whole sack of potatoes.
Henry II, King of France, invited the great lords and noble-
men of his court to a feast. The potato was to be the important
dish. When the potato appeared, the guests became very much
excited. The King was the first to be served. He tasted it once,
twice ; then passed it on in perfect silence. The lords and noble-
• men did as he had done. What was the cause of the silence?
6 — Econ.
82 Bulletin of the University of Texas
The cook had not boiled them before serving them with a deli-
cious mayonnaise dressing. After the feast, the king had every
potato thrown out of the city of Paris.
About two weeks later, some soldiers were camping near the
fortifications of the city. While sitting around the eampfire,
it seemed to them as if a most appetizing odor came from the
glowing ashes of the fire. They began to examine the ashes
in order that they might) find the cause of this tempting smell.
What a feast they had when at the end of the stick appeared
one of the potatoes sent to the King of France. The soldiers
ate them without the least fear, and they ate every one of them.
The news of this lucky find reached the ears of the king, so
he sent for more potatoes and gave another feast.
The potato was served again, but was cooked this time, and
the most particular guest could not find one word to say against
it.
Recipes
To Prepare Potatoes. — Select smooth potatoes of uniform
size for cooking at the same time. Wash and scrub with a small
brush. If the potatoes are to be pealed, remove the thinnest
possible layer of skin.
If the potatoes are not to be used at once, drop into cold
water to prevent discoloration.✪ To Prepare Potatoes
Keep a brush for cleaning vegetables.
If the potatoes are old and somewhat shriveled, soak them
for several hours before cooking.
Baked Potatoes
Prepare potatoes (unpeeled) ;
Bake in a hot oven for about 40 m., or until soft.
Remove from the oven; break the skin slightly, in
order that the steam can escape.
Serve as quickly as possible.
Page 31 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1916. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The first home of the potato was in South America. There it was found wild. Sometimes we call it the white potato, in order that we may know it from the sweet potato. Often it is called the Irish potato. Do you know why? It is because the people of Ireland use so many potatoes. It was carried to Ireland from our own country over 300 years ago. It is now the principal food among the Irish peasants.
We found that potatoes contain a great deal of starch. Much of the starch we use comes from potatoes. This useful, homely, everyday vegetable is found in almost ever country. It has been used in France for a long time.
Shall I tell you about what happened to the first potato eaten in France? Well, a long, long time ago the Spaniards came to South America. They noticed that the people ate, and almost lived upon, what they thought was the large root of a vegetable called "battata." Battata means "papa" in our language. The Spaniards sent some of the battata to their friends in Spain, and these friends sent them to Italy, another country near France. Finally some were sent to Belgium, to the mayor of Nons, which is almost in France.
The mayor liked the king of France very much, and wanted to send him a rare gift. So what did he do but send him a whole sack of potatoes.
Henry II, King of France, invited the great lords and noblemen of his court to a feast. The potato was to be the important dish. When the potato appeared, the guests became very much excited. The King was the first to be served. He tasted it once, twice ; then passed it on in perfect silence. The lords and noble- • men did as he had done. What was the cause of the silence?
6 — Econ.
82 Bulletin of the University of Texas
The cook had boiled them before serving them with a delicious mayonnaise dressing. After the feast, the king had every potato thrown out of the city of Paris.
About two weeks later, some soldiers were camping near the fortifications of the city. While sitting around the campfire, it seemed to them as if a most appetizing odor came from the glowing ashes of the fire. They began to examine the ashes in order that they might find the cause of this tempting smell. What a feast they had when at the end of the stick appeared one of the potatoes sent to the King of France. The soldiers ate them without the least fear, and they ate every one of them.
The news of this lucky find reached the ears of the king, so he sent for more potatoes and gave another feast.
The potato was served again, but was cooked this time, and the most particular guest could not find one word to say against it.
Recipes
To Prepare Potatoes. — Select smooth potatoes of uniform size for cooking at the same time. Wash and scrub with a small brush. If the potatoes are to be peeled, remove the thinnest possible layer of skin.
If the potatoes are not to be used at once, drop into cold water to prevent discoloration.
Keep a brush for cleaning vegetables.
If the potatoes are old and somewhat shriveled, soak them for several hours before cooking.
Baked Potatoes
Prepare potatoes (unpeeled) ;
Bake in a hot oven for about 40 m., or until soft.
Remove from the oven; break the skin slightly, in
order that the steam can escape. Serve as quickly as possible.
Records on this page
To Prepare Potatoes