Monday 4 June 2001

Pic of the day: OK, so there are no potatoes in the picture. I just used it for its fantasy value. It is actually a screenshot from Black & White. Are you sure you don't want to run and buy this game ... after you've finished your potatoes?

Potato fantasies

A funny thing that I have noticed in a couple fantasy novels: They are based on medieval Europe, and people are eating potatoes. I could always invent excuses for this, but the simplest explanation is that the author doesn't know his history. So for you budding fantasy writers (or historical novels, for that matter): A brief history of potatoes.

Contrary to the common image, the potato is a late immigrant to Europe. So King Arthur and his knights did not have potatoes with their dinner. Like maize, it originated across the Atlantic, cultivated by the native Americans. For extended values of Americans: The plant was popular in the high mountains of South America, where the summer was short and not too hot. It must have taken some courage (or desperation) to discover this useful food, for the fruit (vaguely like a small green tomato, to which it is related) is quite toxic. But the roots grow a number of lumps packed with carbohydrates and some vitamins, and these are edible unless they have been exposed to sunlight while still alive.

The Amerinds did a decent job of cultivating the potato, and eventually it was discovered by the conquering Europeans. At first it was a mere curiosity, until some bright person noticed the similarity of climate to northern Europe. The cold, wet summers of Ireland and Scandinavia were indeed similar enough that the plant grew happily. The grain farmers were less happy.

In Norway, the potato can thank the priesthood for its popularity. At first the Norwegian farmers were quite unwilling to try anything new. They wanted to sow their grain on the exact same spot where grandfather had done so, and viewed any change as stupid at best or dangerous at worst. But the priests of the state-controlled church (which had pretty much a religious monopoly at the time) were better educated, and many of them had learned about the new plant which gave more food on the same area and was more tolerant to early frost. They brought the knowledge on to their flock, even going so far as to preach about potatoes at the Sunday mass.

It bears mentioning here that this all happened only a couple hundred years ago, which happened to be one of the high tides for rational thought among the religious establishment. Not too long after, the church was challenged by new theories such as Darwinism and various brands of geology that doubted the Bible's teaching about creation. The church became disenchanted with rationalism for a while. If not for this brief window of opportunity, the potato might never had become the staple food of Norway (and to some extent the rest of Scandinavia). In the footsteps of the new and better nourishment followed a population boom, much of which was later exported to the USA, while the rest came to build the new nation of Norway from what was essentially a large Danish province.

***

As late as when I grew up, potatoes were the main source of carbohydrates at least in rural areas, and probably elsewhere too. Oh, we had our daily bread. But for dinner, potatoes were a large part of the meal. And often as not, we would cook enough potatoes that we had plenty to fry for an evening meal or even the next breakfast. Potatoes that are cooked and then sliced and fried is quite a delicious meal, either with bread or without. Salt and pepper are required, as potatoes don't taste a lot alone. Potatoes cut into small bits and fried with egg was also a favorite of mine. As far as potatoes go, that is.

I don't eat potatoes every month anymore. For dinner I am much more likely to cook pasta, or occasionally rice. The main source of potato in modern society is fries, and I don't eat those a lot. I tend to eat my hamburger, if any, with raw vegetables and a milk shake. Not fries and cola. Hey, I am just different, OK?

Potato chips are also popular, but again this is not a staple food for me. I sometimes buy a bag of them, but not quite every month. It is a bit on and off. They are too fat for me, really. Potato chips can contain from 30 to 50% fat. Imagine eating a slice of bread with as much butter as bread. Could you do that? I have a hard time eating that much fat. But when I do, I don't get hungry again for a long time. Most other humans do, and gain weight accordingly.

***

The potato itself, however, is quite healthy. Depending on how you cook it, it may contain some vitamins and fiber - these disappear if you peel it before cooking - but mostly it is carbohydrates all the way down. Starch, to be more exact. Like pasta, white rice and white bread, the potato is almost completely absorbed in digestion. Those who are easily constipated should make sure to eat some fiber during the day too, like fruit or raw vegetables.

One of the arguments against the potato when it was new here in Norway was that potato-eaters tended to have more children. While children were more popular in those days, there were limits. Most people were a bit worried if there was a new mouth to feed each year. (And childbirth was quite a bit more risky back then.) Since that time, the potato has had a weak but persisten rumor as an aphrodisiac. The truth is probably that people were more likely to be fertile if they were not starving, and the potato gave a more plentiful harvest than grain in many part of the country. But the fact remain that I rarely eat potatoes and have no children, while my potato-eating brothers are happily married and have several kids each ...

***

What if the potato had come to Europe in the middle ages? In our timeline, the Vikings built a few small settlements in North America, but went home after guerilla attacks by the natives. They never met the potato-eating cultures further south. If the climate had been better, or indeed if the Vikings had been a bit more diplomatic, they might have created a small trade empire along the Atlantic coast of America. If they had eventually brought home the potato, the Viking countries (at that time including Ireland and much of Britain) would almost certainly have seen a large population boom. Hordes of Vikings would have flooded Europe and not least Vinland (north America).

And you Vinlanders would be speaking Norse now. Don't I wish. :) Potato fantasies ...