TECHNOLOGICAL inventions bring changes in societies and accelerate its economic and social development. Similarly, new varieties of food contribute to changing human behaviour and social attitudes. The process of history shows that man gradually discovered different kinds of vegetables, herbs, fruits and grains and after experiments used them for his food.
To make it tastier, spices were added in the process of cooking. As civilization progressed, the preparation and presentation of food became an art which created a social gulf between the rich and the poor. With the growth of the population, there was a need to discover more items for eating.
In the 15th century, a miracle happened: the old world came to know about the new world, which introduced a number of new food items including potatoes. Their introduction and adoption greatly influenced the social, political and economic life of Europe whose growing population was desperately in need of more food.
Potatoes were orignally cultivated in Peru and Bolivia, areas where the Inca civilization was at its peak at the time of the European’s invasion. It was such an important crop that before its cultivation, human sacrifice was made to make it fertile. Later on the lama, a South American animal, replaced human sacrifice. The sacrifice reflects how far the people of this area depended on potatoes for their livelihood.
Columbus first brought potatoes, in 1493, from Haiti to Spain where experiments were made to cultivate it. It appears from historical evidence that the eating of potato was popular as sacks of potatoes were used for food during long voyages, loaded onto American bound ships.
In the South American countries, potatoes were known by a different name: in Peru, they were known as ‘pappa’ and in Chili as ‘pogni’. From pappa it became batata and finally potato in English. In Goa, it acquired the name of ‘batata surata’ because it came to Goa from the port of Surat. It was also called ‘earth apple’. The Iranians translated it into Persian as ‘Saib- i- zamini’. They also referred to it as ‘Alu-I-Molcolm, on the name of an officer of the East India Company who first introduced it to Iran. The Italians named it as ‘tortoufle’ and the Germans called it as ‘kartoffel’.
Although the Spaniards brought potatoes in the 15th century to Europe, there were doubts about its use. People were reluctant to eat them instead of bread. Some refused because they were not mentioned in the Bible. Many thought them to cause leprosy. To counter doubts, the government of France in 1771 asked the Department of medicine of the University of Paris to give its opinion on whether they were useful or detrimental to health. The response of the university was positive. In the Prussian state, people were also not ready to eat the potato. In 1774, when Fredrick sent potatoes to Kolberg where a famine-like situation prevailed, people resisted their use. “The things have neither smell nor taste. Not even the dogs will eat them, so what use are they to us” said the people of Kolberg. Fredrick became so angry that he sent an army and forced the peasants to cultivate them.
In their early history, the eating of potatoes related to social status. The Spaniards, as conquerors, were reluctant to eat potatoes, as they were the food of the local people. Similarly, the English were also hesitant to use them, as it was the staple food of the Irish regarded as an inferior race. Social status was also determined on what kind of potatoes people ate. In the 18th and early 19th century, poor people could only afford to eat lumders, a cheap variety, while aristocrats ate gregorscup, a better quality of potatoes.
The ruling classes of Europe soon became interested in popularizing the use of the potato, as it was a cheap food and could prevent starvation. In Ireland, the potato greatly influenced social, cultural, political, and economic history. As the climate was suitable for its cultivation it became an important crop. However, Ireland suffered immensely from England’s political hegemony. The English landlords took all its grain away. No encouragement was made to promote its industry; subsequently, economic backwardness, constant rebellions against England, assassination of their leaders, civil wars, immigration, deforestation, famines, and droughts were the causes that created shortages of food. Potatoes filled this vacuum. According to one historian: “ Irish farmers in the seventeen century were the first to realize that a quarter acre of land would yield twenty hundred weight of potatoes”.
However, dependence on potatoes had negative effects in the 1840’s when there were severe famines, which resulted in the catastrophic devastation of Ireland. Thousands of people died of starvation and those who could afford it, immigrated to America. The estimate is that three and half million people left for America between 1851 and 1946. The social impact was that the Irish male was forced to marry late and some of them preferred to remain unmarried. The government failed to alleviate the suffering resulting in political unrest that led to a number of movements against England.
In Ireland, potatoes kept the level of poverty low for nearly 30 years. The english factory owners took advantage of them because they provided them with cheap labour. In this respect potatoes as a cheap food helped the powerful classes to exploit the poor and needy and use them for their interest. Thus, on the one hand, it was used as cheap food, and on the other, it strengthened the class system in Europe. Van Gogh, who visited along with Zola, the settlements of miners, painted the masterpiece ‘Potato eaters’ showimg the grim misery of the potato eaters. Zola wrote his famous novel ‘Germinal’ on their living conditions.
The potatoe is still playing its historical role by providing people throughout the world with cheap and tasty food in the form of French fries and cutlets.
