Hardly any other food is as widespread in Europe and America as the potato (Austrian Erdapfel). In addition to the diverse preparation methods using potatoes themselves, potato starch and potato flour are indispensable components of many industrial foods. But when are potatoes no longer edible?
The potato belongs to the nightshade family as a useful plant. Basically, the potato just refers to the tubers that grow in the ground. The flowers, fruit and seeds are inedible for humans.
The potato originally comes from South America and was imported to Europe after the discovery of America and was initially only popular there as an ornamental plant. Large-scale cultivation began around 1680 – 1720 in Central Europe. Today, intensive potato cultivation continues outside of tropical, arctic and subarctic climates.
In its history, the potato soon became the backbone of the European food supply. In German history, Frederick the Great is particularly known as the Potato King, important because he promoted the spread of the “Tartoffel” (Prussian for potato).
He saw the great advantages of cultivation; the tuber was less demanding than grain and was able to compensate for poor grain harvests and thereby prevent famine.
To do this, he issued so-called “potato orders”, which contained precise instructions for growing the crop, strict instructions to all farmers to grow potatoes in the future and even some cooking recipes.
In addition, the country's farmers were obliged to write an annual report to the king listing the cultivation and yield of the tuber. Even today, potatoes are placed at the king's grave as a reminder of this achievement.
However, the dominance of the potato also posed a great risk. Between 1845 and 1849 there was a huge famine in Europe due to numerous potato crop failures. The reason for this was the spread of potato blight, which caused the potatoes to become moldy. The result of the crop failure and the resulting famine was the death of a million Irish people, twelve percent of the Irish population at the time. Two million more Irish emigrated, changing the demographic picture in America to this day. (John Kennedy was the first president with Irish roots)
The raw potato is inedible for humans.
On the one hand, when raw it contains a high proportion of potato starch, which can cause nausea, vomiting and stomach pain in humans. In addition, the taste when raw is mealy and bitter. Many varieties of potatoes also contain solanine, which is poisonous to humans and serves as a natural repellent for the crop against pests and fungi.
Solanine is mainly contained in potatoes under the peel and at germination sites. Germination sites arise because the tuber continues to grow in a favorable environment and tries to form a new plant. If the potato is stored for too long, seedlings will emerge after a long time that contain a high concentration of solanine. Consuming solanine leads to circulatory and respiratory problems as well as nausea and diarrhea.
Raw potatoes can be consumed in small quantities (raw potato juice is said to be a remedy for heartburn), although it should be noted that other home remedies have a lower risk of poisoning.
For potatoes that have already sprouted or have green spots, the seedlings must be removed generously and the peel is no longer edible. The green areas should be scraped out generously. If the germs are over 5 centimeters long or if a potato has more than 4 germs, the solanine can spread throughout the entire tuber, which is why consumption should be avoided.
In general, the risk of poisoning is manageable, as solanine is only dangerous to humans at one milligram. To achieve this, a full-grown man would have to eat around 2.7 kg of raw potatoes.
Result:
In summary, potatoes with a few green spots or small germs are definitely edible if the corresponding spots are removed generously. Raw potatoes are not suitable for consumption and the juice obtained is only harmless in small quantities. Otherwise, nothing stands in the way of enjoying the world's most popular tuber.
References:
Toxic or not?
Can you still eat sprouted potatoes? Eating potatoes raw – is that okay?
History+Archaeology The King and the Potato
Why potatoes shouldn't be eaten raw
EVERYDAY QUESTION Can I still eat sprouting potatoes?
Author: Alexander Herberstein, article image: Shutterstock / By Kasikova Svetlana
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