There are different types of potatoes, and each of them has got some uniqueness about them. Here are a few interesting things you probably didn’t know about the different types of potatoes.
Starting with types, there are actually over 4,000 types of potatoes out there and about 180 species that people do not eat because of their bitter taste. It would also interest you to know that an average potato is composed of about 80% water and 20% solid, making them a very interesting meal option to consider for weight loss and hydration.
Potatoes are absolutely and naturally gluten-free! So for people who have a gluten sensitivity or are battling with celiac (a situation where the body fights gluten, mistaking it for a bacteria or virus and prevents absorption of certain nutrients). Did you also know that Potatoes are circulated vegetatively? A new plant can yield up to twenty new roots. These plants also produce blossoms and berries enclosing about a hundred to four hundred botanical seeds, which can be implanted to produce new roots that will be genetically different from the parent plant.
These vegetables date far back to 5000BC in present-day Bolivia or Peru, known then as the Andes. When it comes to commercialization, China is the chief exporter and major producer of potatoes. Other leading producers include ‘Ukraine,’ ‘Russia,’ ‘Poland,’ ‘India,’ ‘Germany,’ and the ‘United States.’ In the US, Washington city and Idaho grow the largest potatoes, and Idaho has been named the “potato state.” This is unarguably so as the state owns a potato museum built to complete this title.
Interestingly, there were times back in history in the 1890s when potatoes were openly traded with gold. Due to the Vitamin C contained in these vegetables, it had a high value. Now here is a shocker! I bet you didn’t know that one could get poisoned from these vegetables. By consuming these parts (leaves and green stems) of potatoes, you risk consuming toxic solanine that can cause fever, pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, and headaches. These signs do not show up immediately; they usually start showing up about eight to ten hours after consumption. So, do well to avoid the leaves and green stems of these roots.
Potato is nature’s gift to man, and research hasn’t stopped in discovering the several ways this amazing vegetable can be enjoyed and its benefits maximized.
