Potato - A long Journey to Reach Your Dining Table

Compare to other root vegetables, potatoes is the most popular. It might be due to its flexibility to be cooked and be served in many kind of dishes and by many kind of methods as well; frying, stewing, steaming, roasting or grilling.

Potatoes contain many nutrients needed by our body, which could be another reason. Vitamins, minerals, irons are provided in quite high amount.

It does not contain fat or sodium and contain potassium even higher the amount contained in banana.

Therefore, this vegetable become a favorite choice for whom are on a diet since the carbohydrate content is also low.

There is many opinions spread around about where exactly potatoes come from. Someone said, it was planted in South America at the very first time since 1800 years ago. Then it was introduced to Europe few years later.

Some historian said that Spanish fleet brought potatoes as they found it at Ireland waters. Sir John Hawkins is the person who introduced potato to England in 1563. But it did not plant until Sir Francis Drake bought it back in 1586.

Other history said that Sir Walter Raleigh introduced it to Ireland and brings it to Royal dishes of England in 1619. Only in 18th century potato brought to North America and spread widely until reached England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Germany.

Although potato is extremely famous nowadays, there was a time in 17th century when Frances considered potatoes as leprosy cause. Of course it was a big mistake. Potato with green spots contains solanin, a poison that causes an illness, but it does not cause fever and leprosy.

Choosing and Storing Potato

1. Good potato is bounce with flawless skin and smooth surface
2. Choose potato without green spot
3. Consider that potato with wavy surface needs longer time for peeling
4. If you buy in large amount, keep it in dry place, less direct sunshine and also cool
5. Do not wash potato for another time use otherwise wash them when about to be cook
6. Do not store potato in refrigerator
7. Do not store potato with onion for not to be spoiled too early
8. Potato can be frozen for three months by this way: peel, wash and thinly slice. Soak in water for two minutes. Re-wash it in cool water, dry, put in plastic bag and freeze it

Cooking Potato

1. It is best not to peel potato too deep to retain the nutrients
2. Cut in uniformly size for uniformly cooking time
3. Use potato stock for soup or casserole. It contains vitamins pulled out from the potato
4. It is better to cook potato in pressure cooker. It retains the color and nutrients. It saves your cooking time, too
5. To steam potato, it is better to add them right after the water is boiled
6. To retain the nutrients, it is best to microwave potatoes without peel them and wrap them with aluminum foil
   
   
   

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