Fact Finder - Food and Drink

The potato was first domesticated by the Inca Indians in the Andes Mountains. When Spanish explorers brought them to Europe in the 1500s, they were initially viewed with deep suspicion. People believed they caused leprosy because they were lumpy and grew underground. It took nearly 200 years for the potato to become an everyday staple. Its rise was fueled by kings like Frederick the Great of Prussia, who realized that potatoes could feed a nation more efficiently than grain because they grow underground and are protected from weather and foraging armies. Today, the potato is the world's fourth-largest food crop. The starch in potatoes is used not just for food, but in everything from paper manufacturing to the production of biodegradable plastics.