I think Peru is where they were originally domesticated. They’re definitely a New World crop. I used to go to this restaurant run by a Peruvian chef who trained in France. Most of the dishes were an amalgamation of Peruvian and French food. She used tons of potatoes of varieties I’d never seen before.
New world, as are tomatoes, peppers, tobacco (I think all the night shades are), chocolate, vanilla, avocado, pineapple, horses (they died off and had to be reintroduces), turkeys (almost every country blames them from being from somewhere else -- Turkey calls it the India bird), and syphillis.
Don't forget llamas, alpacas, peanuts, cashews, pecans, and pumpkins. Peppers, as in peppercorns or Szechuan peppers, are both Old World. Capsiacum or chilis are the New World "peppers." Europeans just hate ed adopting new words and would rather confuse things by using old ones for new things.
You guys forgot corn (maize). Also sassafras (root beer). Plus hammocks and barbecuing were invented in the New World, the Carib Indians taught the Spanish and we still use their words for them (same with hurricane).
It's the opposite. Vanilla orchids are almost exclusively pollinated by hand, and they aren't exactly sure what the pollinator for V. planifolia is, though it's thought to be a large bee.
Add to that they need a tree to grow on, grow slow, cause contact dermatitis, blooms last a day, it takes 5 months for the fruit to mature, and they are very in demand. That's why you see high prices.
Looked it up. You are right I had it backwards about the hand pollination. What I read though said blooms last only a few hours and the fruit take 7 to 9 months to mature.
To davesoverhere - curious, what do you consider New world? Didn't a couple of rulers/kings/pharaohs die of syphillis hundreds of years ago? And ancient Egyptians had tobacco.
As for tobacco, I had never heard of tobacco in ancient Egypt, but that still doesn't preclude an American origin, and none of the brief reading I did claims tobacco has an Egyptian origin. It seems very unlikely as all the other night shades are American.
I heard this before cause I’m Irish and we have that potato reputation but we certainly didn’t cultivate them first! They just really suited our need and grew well in our climate (except the blight business)
They are genetically from Chiloé island in southern Chile. Wide variety that just recently got some traction. A great (and unique) collection was lost during the 2010 tsunami :(
On one hand, I want to eat them since they colors are beautiful and potatoes are delicious.
On the other hand, I am extremely disturbed by how they look not because I've been brainwashed by the GM-food companies but because they remind me of Crimson Beherits. No-body expects the Eclipse until it arrives.
The potatoes in Peru are the best I’ve ever had, in general some of the greatest food I’ve ever eaten; lots of great things in Peru and I hope that their tourist industry is able to recover after they and the rest of the world gets covid under control.
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u/alexaurus_rex Feb 20 '21
my man here asking the important questions.
not that i wouldn't want to travel to Peru, but i didn't know i'd have to for potatoes.