On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 585
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CentralandSouthAmerica.Somewere
cultivated8,000yearsago.Spanishexplorers
broughtonespecies,Solanumtuberosum,
fromPeruorColombiatoEuropearound
1570.Becauseitwashardyandeasytogrow,
thepotatowasinexpensiveandthepoorwere
itsprincipalconsumers.(AnIrishpeasantate
5–10poundsperdayatthetimeofthe1845
blight.)Itnowleadsallothervegetablesin
worldwideproduction.Morepotatoesare
consumedintheUnitedStatesthananyother
vegetable,aroundathirdofapound/150gm
perpersonperday.
Thepotatoisatuber,thetipofan
undergroundstemthatswellswithstored
starchandwaterandbearsprimordialbuds,
the“eyes,”thatgeneratethestemandrootsof
anewplant.Itissometimesalittlesweet,
withaslightbutcharacteristicbitterness,and
hasamildearthyflavorfromacompound(a
pyrazine)producedbysoilmicrobes,butalso
apparentlywithinthetuberitself.
HarvestandStorageTrue“new”potatoesare
immature tubers, harvested from green vines
during the late spring and throughout the
summer.Theyaremoistandsweet,relatively
lowinstarch,andperishable.Maturepotatoes
are harvested in the fall. The vines are killed
bycuttingordrying,andthetubersareleftin
the soil for several weeks to “cure” and
toughen their skin. Potatoes can be stored in
thedarkformonths,duringwhichtheirflavor
intensifies; slow enzyme action generates
fatty, fruity, and flowery notes from cellmembrane lipids. The ideal storage
temperature is 45–50ºF/7–10ºC. At warmer
temperaturestheymaysproutordecay,andat
coldertemperaturestheirmetabolismshiftsin
a complicated way that results in the
breakdown of some starch to sugars. Makers
ofpotatochipsmust“recondition”cold-stored
potatoes at room temperature for several
weeks to reduce their levels of glucose and
fructose, which otherwise cause the chips to
