APPACALE

• Potato cultivation originates in the Andes ( Perú , Bolivia , Ecuador , Chile and Colombia ). It was the basic food in places where corn could not be grown.

• Spain brought this tuber to Europe . Galicia was the first region where potato was grown in the 16th century. The highest diversity of cultivated potatoes is in the Canary Islands . The ships coming from America arrived to these islands and the warm climate favoured its cultivation.

• It was thought that potato caused diseases and for example, in Besançon (France) consuming potatoes was prohibited because of leprosy risk in 1748.

Roots of a potato plant.

• The great spread of the crop through out Europe began with the work of Antoine Parmentier “La pomme de terre: Traité sur sa culture et son usage”. The dishes carrying the surname Parmentier have as principal ingredient potato.

• Nowadays there are more than 3.000 varieties although about 500 are commercially exploited. In Europe round 150 varieties have commercial importance.

• The high level content of potato in vitamin C made possible to eradicate the scurvy, an endemic disease from the Northern European countries.

• Potato is the basic ingredient of vodka and other distilled liquors such as aquavit and schnaps. 100 kg of potatoes produce 12 kg of pure alcohol.

• Who invent Spanish omelette? During the war in favour of the throne pretender Carlos V of Borbon, the carlista general Zumalacárregui arrived to a country house in the North of Navarra. The hostess could only give him a dish made with some eggs and potatoes from her own vegetable garden. That's why it is said that the inventor was the hunger .

• The life cycle is completed between 90 and 120 days and in only 60 days small but tasty tubers can be obtained.

Native potato selection in San Jose de Aymara, Huancavelica, Perú.

APPACALE Agrupación de Productores de patata de siembra de Castilla y León S.A. info@appacale.com Tel. 947 29 81 02 - Fax. 947 29 84 11 Burgos