Potatoes: South America's Gift to the World

[@jonathanwilliams1065]

The potato is so engrained in European cuisine that fantasy always has the potato as a crop despite other new world vegetables not being featured

[@AncientAmericas]

Great observation. In my first draft of this script, I pointed out how when JRR Tolkien imagined his mythological Britain in Middle Earth, he included the potato as a crop even though in reality the potato is as British as a coconut (assuming the swallow can't carry it). I personally suspect that Tolkien, being a scholar and a highly educated guy must have been aware of this but could not imagine a beautiful world without the potato. I think that speaks to how deeply the potato has worked its way into the hearts of people.

[@arthurbarros5189]

I think only Dwarf Fortress has fantasy worlds with truly varied crops, as the game creator populated the world with lots of real life plants and animals according to their biomes. In a light research using the game wiki and Wikipedia, I'm reminded of how many crops the modern agriculture models crushed: millets, amaranths, dozens types of wheat, all Left in favor of the "white wheat", soy and corn. Some crops, like quinoa, are making a modest reappearance in the quest for heathier diets. The kind of thing you'll see your aunt buying to help her intestines.

[@jonathanwilliams1065]

@@arthurbarros5189 millet is still a big deal in Africa isn’t it? As for amaranth isn’t that a vegetable?

[@BHKP3]

@@AncientAmericas i seriously doubt Tolkien wouldve acknowledged the potato came from southamerica, back then and a lot of evidence was swept under the rug to keep the colonialist and imperialist discourse, especially in academic circles which were/are pretty eurocentric. I mean, i'm from Chile and a lot of people still think potatoes and other great inventions came from Europe

[@billweirdo9657]

@@jonathanwilliams1065 no its an grain. Mostly grown as an ornamental because they are an gorgeous plant. But the seeds are an " cereal grain "

[@AlejandroFlores-vi8tl]

"The Potato doesn't care it just adapts" truly the food of humanity

[@piesdescalzos27]

Tell that to the irish lol

[@LordVader1094]

​@@piesdescalzos27Induced by the British

[@auturgicflosculator2183]

Potatoes and humans are both great sources of food for microbes.

[@kianafreitas8877]

i went to the comment section for this

[@HipposHateWater]

r/HFY moment

[@Derlaid]

Hard to imagine the modern world being what it is without New World crops like potatoes, corn, and squash. We owe a lot to the people who spent the centuries domesticating these plants.

[@gregb6469]

There are three other New World crops that have had huge impacts upon the rest of the world-- cacao, tomatoes, and tobacco.

[@gzer0x]

Peppers too! The ancient food scientists of the Americas literally revolutionized our modern world

[@juannn8]

@@gregb6469 corn

[@gregb6469]

@@juannn8 -- Corn is listed in the OP.

[@Ggyhhggtyyy]

My tier list of new world fruit and veg mentioned: S+: Potato S: Tomato A: Paprika, Cacao B: Squash C: D: Corn F: Tobacco

[@thecaveofthedead]

The food security enjoyed by the Inca was yet another mind-blowing paradigm shift for me. I'd simply assumed that, from the dawn of agriculture to Borlaugh's Green Revolution, famine was a constant in human life. Now I learn that that wasn't the case for some significant chunk of South American history. This channel is really amazing.

[@janegarner6739]

It wasn't only the Inca & their predecessors, other native peoples had domesticated plants that were stored for years as surplus in case of shortage. In mid-15th c. Mexico/Tenochtitlan there were foods stored for 7 yrs in case needed, for example.

[@mdj.6179]

I'm half Polish. There was a huge increase in the population of Eastern Europe after the potato and the food security it brought.

[@thecaveofthedead]

@@mdj.6179 and Ireland too, of course, before the blight caused mass starvation and exodus. The Irish population vastly expanded thanks to the potato. But clearly due to it being novel, they didn't have the varieties that would have allowed them to avoid the blight. Well, that and the fact that the English refused to give up enough of the wheat grown on English-owned Irish estates to maintain the population.

[@aronzimas5660]

The Inca were devastated by Smallpox, had no steel, horses, gunpowder and where highly superstitious thinking the world was going to end anytime soon. But they were superior to Europeans in some regards. Agriculture and irrigation was one of them. They literally grew food in mountains.

[@user-fi3cj2kj6f]

You were that dumb?

[@TheUncleRuckus]

Not just Potatoes we have to thank South America for there's Tomatoes, Peppers, Green Beans, Lima Beans, Pineapples, Strawberries, Pumpkins, Squash, Avocados and probably more that I'm missing.

[@kindofsimplereally]

Quinoa, Amaranth, and last but not at all least, Maize (corn), though that might be more from Central America vs South. Oh and Chocolate from Central America also!

[@Facu_Roldan]

@@kindofsimplereally the origin of the cacao tree is the amazon jungle.

[@esquilax5563]

Not strawberries, those were around in ancient Europe

[@RonneWesley]

@@esquilax5563it came from Chile

[@esquilax5563]

@@RonneWesley the Anglo-Saxons had them, their word for them was streáwbergean

[@GringoLoco]

Excellent video! In Peru, potatoes are still with a seven -year fallow period, a period which parasitic nematode worms' eggs cannot survive, a practice that dates backs millennia. Another tactic is the planting of "sacrificial perimeter crops" on the edge of the fields, which lured pests like moths away from where they could do damage. Yet another method, introduced following the Conquest, is to wrap seed potatoes in banana leaves when planting which also protects them from worms.

[@AncientAmericas]

I always enjoy your comments because I always learn something.

[@thefisherking78]

Fascinating!

[@xerk2945]

I've never seen a reason to grow bananas(I'm allergic and I don't find the tree attractive), but that comment just won me over.

[@blenderbanana]

@@xerk2945 i never heard of someone allergic to Bananas. There so mild and supple.

[@torianholt2752]

@@blenderbanana Many people with latex allergies are also allergic to bananas.

[@KTo288]

The adoption of the potato in Europe wasn't helped by the fact that they initially tried eating the leaves and not the tubers.

[@AncientAmericas]

Yikes. That would have ended poorly.

[@rosiehawtrey]

Nothing like a dose of supercharged pseudonorovirus to brighten your day.. I'm reminded of a certain family guy scene just at both ends... "I don't wanna, I don't wanna..." 🤮 Edit: Oh, and alkaloid poisoning, which might explain the hallucinations and tremors mentioned.

[@TheWastelander86]

YIKES. Direct nightshade consumption.

[@irena4545]

I don't think it was leaves but rather the berries... oops, a really bad idea.

[@rashidisw]

Thats remind me of weird story where someone uses the potato's leaves as substitutes because they unable to procure tobacco leaves.

[@rdreher7380]

In Russian, the sweet potato is called батат (batat), which is from that Spanish term "batata." Potatoes though are called картошка (kartoshka) originally a diminutive of картофель (kartofyel') from German "Kartoffel," which is a corruption of "Tartuffel" from Italian "tartufolo" dim. of "tartufo," from Latin "terrae tūber." As you may guess "tuber" comes from the second of these two words, and the term "truffle" comes from this expression as well, from a path it took through French instead of Italian.

[@irena4545]

And in Czech we have "brambory", which supposedly comes from "(crop from) Brandenburg/Bramburg", for potatoes, and batát for sweet potatoes.

[@michaireneuszjakubowski5289]

In Polish, sweet potato is "batat" as well. Ordinary taters are called "ziemniaki" (literally: "earthlings", which is, uh, weird).

[@irena4545]

@@michaireneuszjakubowski5289 It's "zemáky" or "zemčata" in certain dialects, as well, or "erteple" (from "Erdapfel").

[@ab9840]

The Quechua natives of Peru call the potato "Papa". That is the name used in the majority of the Americas. Today in Spain, they tend to call it "Patata". In the Caribbean, the Taino natives use to call the sweet potatoe "Batata". So the Spaniards not having a name for it took the Taino name "Batata" for the sweet potato. When they discovered the Andean potato the Spaniards knew what the native name was for the potato (Papa) but it seems some Spaniards either in the Americas or back in Spain decided to call it "Patata" since it resembled the "Batata" (sweet potato) which was decades first known to the Spaniards before the regular potato.

[@thefisherking78]

Woweee, that was an epic demonstration of etymological nerdery. I bow before thee.

[@PragandSens]

As a peruvian, i'm proud of the legacy that my people left, my old ancestors, I'm from Ayacucho, he mentions that region in the video~ lets gooooo

[@jamalhamdaui670]

i love all the indigenous peoples of peru ❤❤spetially the aymara languages

[@jamalhamdaui670]

@@PragandSens aymara quecua languages are amazing

[@David_AC90]

Its not a exclusive peruvian legacy, enough with your country stealing everything from the past

[@Avocados365]

​@@David_AC90 The potato is of Peruvian origin, you just have to do a little research and you will know, don't be so ignorant

[@Agx21111]

@@Avocados365 Peru should stop doing that, Potato came from Bolivia, Chile and Peru, you need to research more.

[@Biophile23]

Botanist here, I've been fascinated by all of the topics about the ancient American peoples that you have made videos on (plus more). This one on the potato was quite good. I had often wondered how people dealt with the cardiac glycosides in wild potatoes. My one quibble is that technically potatoe tubers are a kind of specialized stem. You can tell because of the "eyes" on the surface that are buds to produce new shoots. In contrast Sweet Potatoes are actually true fleshy roots, though they can produce adventitious buds on the roots to make new stems after storage. No new world crop remade the old world as much as the potato and you really brought that out. :)

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Looking at your channel, you definitely know your stuff. I've had a few people point out that the potato is actually the stem instead of the root. That's my mistake.

[@Biophile23]

@@AncientAmericas I've had the good/misfortune to actually ride on a potato harvester (research scale) during graduate school. Very dirty and nasty when we got potatoes with Erwinia rot! I got to see the selection process from modern potato breeding and it is super exacting. Lots of not good enough potato varieties ended up at the food bank. :) My uncle, who is also a professor has been looking into another species of wild potato possibly utilized in the southwest by the ancient cultures there. Though I'm also a big fan of the American pseudograins, quinoa and Amaranth, super nutritive! Anyway I am enjoying your channel during my summer off, hope you can keep up the good work. :)

[@sarahwatts7152]

Every taxi driver in Peru knows that there are (at least) 4,000 varieties of Peruvian potatoes. It's a huge part of Peru's national identity.

[@skinity12cn70]

4000 edible varieties and 7000 total varieties

[@eric1scooby]

Very cool! I sometimes think the New World doesn't get the credit they deserve from their agriculture and domestic vegetable technology. Truly one of the biggest impacts in existence

[@greenmachine5600]

Agreed. It's unfortunate

[@redstarling5171]

They did some good developing potatoes and corn, cocoa but in comparison to what the western cultures brought to them with food, textiles, engineering, medicine and Christian law they definitely got the better end of the trade.

[@metalnordeste8998]

@@redstarling5171 What do you mean by christian law? I thought it is the Roman law. Christians brought the Inquisition to certain parts of South America too, besides it helped wipe out many Amerindian cultures due to forceful conversion of many tribes. Pedophilia is another crime well covered by christian churches.

[@greenmachine5600]

@@redstarling5171 definitely not. Especially with how many people died.

[@L.P.1987]

@@redstarling5171 Christian law? Textiles?

[@TropicalCyclone9]

I'm from California but my mom's Bolivian. Often times she tells me that one of the things she misses most from home is Chuño, because she would grow up eating it and my grandma would always make it for dinner. It was awesome finally hearing a video talking about this part of Bolivian culture. Makes me feel happy to see :) Thanks for making this video!

[@notyourbusiness8672]

potatoes aren't bolivian 🙄

[@sanexpreso2944]

@@notyourbusiness8672 Potatoes are from the Andes and Bolivia is in the Andes

[@notyourbusiness8672]

@@sanexpreso2944 humans are from the world, and the Marianas trench is in the world so... same logic 🤷‍♂️

[@jaimexcas]

​@@notyourbusiness8672 he never said potatoes are from Bolivia.

[@estebanmorales6487]

@@notyourbusiness8672 🤦‍♂

[@rayray9865]

You should definitely do a video on tomatoes and corn because I feel like those two also impacted the world in a huge way as well

[@AncientAmericas]

Well lucky for you, I already have a corn video! Check out the maize episode.

[@moss_quartz]

For people who are interested in topics similar to this, there's an excellent book by Bill Laws called "Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History". It's wonderfully written and illustrated, and tells a bunch of stories like (and including!) this one!

[@TheoEvian]

From a 1848 Czech botanical encyclopedia: "We have uncountable varieties as to their shape, colour and quality. This plant is the biggest boon of the discovery of America for the human kind. Thanks to it it is not possible anymore for general famine to pester human species which have ample descriptions in the chronicles when all our hope was spent on grain, so delicate to the climate and so failing; at such times the ground berries (potatoes) bring great harvests and cause that the unfortunate people from the clutches of famine is saved. (...) They are also used to make alcohol." It is much more lovely in the archaic sounding 19th century Czech.

[@g.g.v5716]

THANKS TO ANCIENT PERUVIANS MY FRIEND. THE PERUVIAN BOTANICAL ENGINEERS WERE ABLE TO MAKE THIS PLANT NO POISINOUS.

[@InssiAjaton]

My grandmother described what a blessing the potato was. The previous mainstay turnip generally was spoiled well before spring, but the potatoes were good all the way to next summer, if stored well. I personally have minimized my use of fries, maybe just twice per month, and potato chips never. But baked potatoes and mashed potatoes I could eat daily.

[@FPS-mq9gb]

13:50 vivo en Lima y he sembrado algunas plantas de papa en mi huerta usando el sustrato original (arena) y las papas crecieron normalmente. Es una planta muy resistente y adaptable al suelo desértico y clima húmedo de la costa peruana

[@dipspad5110]

Hermosa la papa se adapta a todo, aca en ecuador se me han caido unas papas en mi jardin, humedo, y poco sol por temporada y crecieron jaja

[@jakestrauss2776]

Hey, I love your channel. I graduated in 2020 with a degree in anthropology so watching all these videos brings back memories from North American and South American archaeology. Its honestly my favorite region to learn about.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@markhughes7927]

Thank you South America - I can’t say it enough - mashed potato and butter has always been behind my greatest inspirations - such as they are.

[@stargatis]

I always ask my mom to make mashed potatoes, no gravy needed!

[@victorhugofranciscon7899]

No problem friend, the New Worlds crops are the gift of south america to the world

[@entoropy]

Thank you Peru* 🙂

[@L.P.1987]

@@entoropy ¿Gracias a un país criollo? Gracias a la zona andina.

[@Jimmydb]

@@L.P.1987 sigue la tradición de las papas y el Perú es el centro de miles de variedades de papas así que sí gracias al Perú por dar papas al mundo!

[@RAJAT6555]

I'm from India. One of the signature dishes of the ethnic community I belong to is a potato curry called 'Batatya Saung'. Potatoes came to India in the 16th-17th centuries with the Portuguese. Of course, other Indian communities have also enthusiastically adopted it, thus giving rise to iconic dishes like the Mutton Dum Biryani, and the Aloo Pyaaz gravy, not to mention breads like the Aloo Paratha. Believe it or not, potato dishes are even prepared on festival days, as well as fasting days!

[@VinayakKumar-kq3ex]

Potato cultivation was responsible for the massive Population growth of The 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and Asia.

[@ggl2947]

The most iconic Indian dish contains potato, it's the samosa

[@gazibizi9504]

​@@ggl2947Samosas are made with ground meat too but rare to find take outs. Vegeterianism is due to religious reasons.

[@iainballas]

Ah yes, Potatoes. They can be cooked and eaten now, or distilled and drank later. Truly, a wonder vegetable.

[@jussikankinen9409]

Free fuel

[@dracomadness792]

You should definitely do a video about medicine in the Americas. My aunt is our tribes medicine women and it’s interesting to hear about the different uses plants have

[@AncientAmericas]

That does sound like a really cool topic!

[@92bagder]

so many medical answers found in nature. For tribes they were shamans; in the west it was alchemy.

[@sherryherran8546]

Look into tocosh is a type of rotten potateo it is being study as not lactic antibiotic.

[@mrbaab5932]

You should file patents on those medicines.

[@ryanh3635]

@@mrbaab5932 "medicine"

[@BHKP3]

Great video. Also, sweet potatoes found in the Pacific and Southeast Asia help theorize (with other ethnobotanical findings) there was contact or even an exchange complex between these cultures way before europeans arrived

[@HiboGentoo]

Fun fact, potatos harvest season was so important in the inca empire that it could stop civil wars or actual wars so anyone could miss the harvest season

[@AncientAmericas]

Ok, this sounds real interesting! Is there an instance where that was documented?

[@lanatrzczka]

I am very impressed with the knowledge of Peruvian history. I don't see that very often.

[@parsaledm]

It blew my mind the first time I came across my first wild potato. It was in my backyard in Colorado and growing in a somewhat forested area. They were SUPER small. Push comes to shove after doing some research, it was a species of wild potato native to that area called a Four Corners Potato, or Solanum Jamesii (scientific name). It has ties that go way back and is a lesser known staple food of Native American's.

[@daharos]

yeah those are toxic unless you cook them properly and leach out the bad stuff

[@stacie1595]

Oh man, south and central americam food culture and archeology is my favorite niche history topic! I could give an hour long ted talk on potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and pepers without any prep!

[@adroaldoribeiro4529]

I love this channel. Seeing my beautiful and beloved South America being shown to people is really nice

[@mikew3194]

Amazing. I was equally fascinated when I learned that the seemingly iconic Italian tomato sauce was not a classical recipe because it came from the new world. Absolutely never would have guessed that the potato too was a new world crop.

[@milers.c.7258]

Thanks for this unvaluable gift, Peru.

[@jiritichy7967]

This was one of the greatest gains from discovering America. It saved European peasantry from starving, as it could grow at higher elevations, where wheat would not grow, and on top of it, at much higher yields.

[@mvsuguino]

Potatoes, Tomatoes, Cocoa, Pineapple, Cassava are from South America. Corn and vanilla is from Central/North America. Those are used around the world.

[@Kaarajann]

Tomatoes and Cocoa are from North America too

[@1ycan-eu9ji]

Chilli too

[@1ycan-eu9ji]

@@Kaarajann tomatoes got brought to north america, they weren't domesticated there, they're from the andes.

[@g.g.v5716]

ESPECIFICALLY FROM PERU.

[@Kaarajann]

@@1ycan-eu9ji Nope. Tomatoed were domesticated in central Mexico.

[@anovice7572]

I remember visiting parque de la papa in Peru and seeing so many different types of potatoes that I didn’t know existed. Like the potatoes were all sorts of colors and some were even purple in the inside. Most importantly they were delicious I ate so many types of potatoes that day until I could no longer eat. I think I ate a 11 1/2 whole potatoes. If any of you visit or are from Peru I recommend trying all the potatoes

[@kilderken7401]

Love the content. This reminds me of Jack Rutherford's book "Indian Givers." It talks about a lot of common staples that were original to the Americas. Not only different foods, but medicines, forms of government...the list goes on. Well done!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@CatFish107]

The bit where you explain the root of our word "jerky" elicited a spontaneous vocal cuss from me. Very cool!

[@BalancedEarth]

I never get tired of videos like this one. I've watched so many videos about the food that came from the Americas. and I'm about to enjoy another! You should look into making a video on sunflowers I've seen a few videos on them but rarely any really well put together ones. There's one from a woman who was outside for the most part and while informative I wish she had done the audio inside as I could hear the wind constantly cover her voice. There's so many cool videos online but I really enjoy this channel covering all the cool historical lore of the Americas. 😊

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you. I don't think I'd do an entire episode to the sunflower because I'd probably lump it into a video about the entire Eastern Agricultural Complex.

[@BalancedEarth]

@@AncientAmericas That sounds awesome! I'd totally watch it! There's probably so much more even I don't know about the entire eastern agricultural system.

[@D.u.d.e.r]

We who were not native to Americas will never repay back the gift of potatoes and corn, which revived and healed our already diseased and corrupted worlds. Thank you all our America ancestors, we are grateful for your gifts!

[@Lulzsec8]

I don't think a Native American is grateful for the medicine that Europeans created, nor for electricity, cars, cell phones, and almost everything they must use in their daily lives. So why are you expressing gratitude for something so simple and trivial?

[@D.u.d.e.r]

@@Lulzsec8 U can't be serious?! I suppose u r joking or u r completely uneducated about the history or u have some kind of brain damage! First and foremost Europeans came and invaded new world - they were NEVER INVITED by native people - BIG DIFFERENCE! The reason Europeans looked for the new world was to expand their power and influence through wealth and religion during age of conquest/empires and not to provide "medicine" or other technological "advancements" to the native people! Secondly - the FIRST "medicine" European invaders brought with them were DISEASES which completely WIPED OUT native people and killed more of them than conflicts and wars which came after that! Europeans also brought "firewater" - alcohol which even more poisoned already broken native people. There r plenty of other examples which prove European technological "advancements" only made native people weaker, more marginalized and broken! Don't believe me? Go and ask them if they give a crap about electricity, cars, cell phones and "almost everything" after their land was taken by invaders and they were brought to their knees and moved to inhabitable prisons or reservations! They don't give a sh*t about it and rightfully so! Ask them if they celebrate Thanksgiving day which only symbolizes destruction of their nations and opens wounds which never healed! On the other hand Europeans took corn, potatoes and many other great gifts of the native world for FREE and NEVER paid any royalty fee back to uplift native people they hurt and put them in misery! And the same thing is being done till this day with any native knowledge through bio piracy where wealthy world of global north exploits and takes riches of the global south for free and make it their own in the name of profit. So NO - only people who should forever thank native nations till the end of times r European invaders who made their lives thousands times better in comparison to what they had in Europe for sake of making lives of native people more miserable! Get your fricken history right and educate yourself, because u r totally out of your element! This is why we Europeans need to thank for something so "simple and trivial" as u wrote like corn or potatoes, because without it we wouldn't be here! I recommend u to start with old docu series called 500 Nations presented by Kevin Costner to understand at least the core of native people's struggle! Maybe that will open your eye and mind... but I doubt it! As north American native people once described Europeans: "they r people whose cups have been already filled and they r no longer able to understand..." Looks to be your case as well! Good luck with waking up from your limited and broken view of the world!

[@rodrigochiberio5472]

Great video. Here in Brasil, especially in Northeast, we have CHARQUE (jerkey) meat. The word too derive from the quechua word for dried meat. But here we use a ton of salt too.

[@rodrigochiberio5472]

And adding another fact. The word CHARQUE,used in Northeast of Brasil, actually came from the south, where the native people already called the dried meat, CHARQUE. And this people, like the charruas, learned this word, probably by the Andean people's.

[@angryatheist]

@@rodrigochiberio5472 there was trade up and down the Amazon, the Inca would eat fruit and fish from the Amazon basin and shellfish from the Brazilian coast have been found in burials , so I’d say your right I’d also say the cultural exchange was probably two way

[@EddieRF_33]

Charque is the southern counterpart, the northeastern one is Sun meat, carne de sol

[@rodrigochiberio5472]

@@EddieRF_33 oi Eddie. Existe charque, existe carne de sol e carne seca. São três produtos com três formas diferentes de se fazer. Embora claro, similares.

[@rodrigochiberio5472]

@@angryatheist absolutely right 💪🏽

[@TheNachoOne]

I remember reading that a study showed that most varieties of potatoes cultivated nowadays come from the Chilean island of Chiloé.

[@thedisgruntleddyslexic7806]

You should do an episode strictly on this food preservation in South America

[@crimsonterror5795]

If it's anything I know: it's that Europe made the best beer, Asia made the best fruits, and the Americas made the best vegetables.

[@AncientAmericas]

I can get behind this.

[@aldurin]

The extent of our debt to indigenous people is enormous. Potatoes, manioc/cassava: all poisonous in the beggining, becoming safe after domestication.

[@IntiNikelaos]

I didn’t expect someone not socialized to chuños to like them. Most people unfamiliar with the flavor don’t like it once they taste it. Fun fact: we call ‘sweet potatoes’ ‘camote’ in Bolivia. I don’t know exactly where that name comes from, but ‘batata’ sounds so weird to me, and I think in all of Spanish-speaking America we call ‘potatoes’ ‘papa’ and it’s only called ‘patata’ in Spain :P

[@waytakaq]

Camote is a Nahuatl word but in Quechua and Aymara it was called kumara or misk’y papa

[@IntiNikelaos]

@@waytakaq qué locura que el nombre camote llegara hasta el centro de Sudamérica y sea su nombre más común. Gracias por la información

[@slwrabbits]

What does chuño taste like? I'm really curious, and don't know of any way to get hold of some to try.

[@IntiNikelaos]

@@slwrabbits sadly, it’s difficult to describe, as it has a really particular taste. I could say that it kind of has the texture of a soft carrot, and a taste that maybe some people could classify as closer to the taste of some medicine than to that of any food they have ever eaten(?)

[@DigginThrough.MyOldMuscles.]

Tanto en Perú como en Bolivia he visto que se le dice camote, por lo menos en la sierra peruana que es de donde yo vengo. @@IntiNikelaos

[@kazemizu]

The potato skin is the healthiest part of a potato.

[@Carloshache]

There's a dark side to it all too: the World Wars would probably not be possible without potatoes. In the Old World before the potato there were no effective war-time supply lines of food for the armies. Armies instead had to plunder the granaries of occupied enemy land, which lead to widespread starvation, often among the occupiers themselves as they ran out of food. After the adaption of potatoes however the armies of Europe got their food steadily supplied from the home country, and thus making armies more effective which prolonged and made wars much worse. Which you can see as early as in the Napoleonic wars. Maybe the potatoes lead to the agressive warring European empires of the 19th and 20 centuries, as well as they lead to the war-prone Inca state. The Inca state also featured the same planned economy such as 20th century empires. So this is maybe the kind of world the potato gives us!

[@music4thedeaf]

Intresting thought

[@theburgerexperience]

Very true armies march on their stomachs.

[@singularityraptor4022]

wow nice perspective

[@Nashr26]

damn you potato!!

[@KrolPawi]

... Why exatcly is that. Potato is not the only vegetable suitable for armies

[@atlasaltera]

One other thing, potatoes went up the Pacific in a very interesting way. The Spanish that mapped the Pacific Northwest in the late 18th century had some Peruvian connections (Quimper expedition I think) even though they sailed from San Blas and introduced potatoes there accidentally when they made gardens for their fortifications, but then abandoned the gardens. The Haida, Makah, Nuuchahnulth etc. took over these gardens and enjoyed the tuber before Europeans were ready to embrace it. This actually resulted in one of the oldest heirloom varieties of potatoes in North America, one that never went across the Atlantic to Europe before being brought over to the eastern U.S. and prairies... Also, I didn't know about potato having a large role in population growth in East Asia! I'll have to dig into this. Did you read about potatoes specifically in relation to this or was it in reference to general Dutch-introduced crops? I mean cassava/tapioca, sweet potato/kumara, maize seem to feature more readily in the Chinese regional cuisines that I'm familiar with, and I remember seeing this piece on how the contemporary Chinese government trying to get Chinese people to more readily embrace potato as a starch source. In my grandma's generation, people seemed to think of potato as more a vegetable than a starch, and you can see that in also the way potato is used in northern Chinese cuisine (often cooked al dente and stir fried or combined with vegetables...), which is where it is more commonly used.

[@AncientAmericas]

Yes, I believe it's from the history of the potato book if you check the bibliography.

[@earthknight60]

Charles C Mann has a chapter on the importance of the potato in China in his book *1493*. It was pretty important for people in the SE mountains, not just in the north. The vegetable vs starch thing regarding potatoes is something that you see in a lot of China, and in Vietnam too. Some of my friends here tell Vietnamese folks, "Potatoes are Western people's rice," when they are offering us end of the meal rice to go with a set of dishes that already included a bunch of potatoes.

[@chrissonnenschein6634]

The potato is known as Gai-Imo “foreign tuber” in Japanese - The Japanese would have acquired along with tobacco by the Spanish by trading their silver (i have heard that much , if not the majority, of the world’s silver used as currency in middle ages was actually from Japan)

[@chrissonnenschein6634]

@UC520BcBVEICW_I8Z3j4cUKw They would not have to necessarily come directly from Peru. Much was done with collecting guano with blackbirded tribals from around the Pacfic Rim fir example.. or of transfer of cargo in Tahiti or Hawai’i then onto Puget or Alaska. Just saying. less likely but possible as well over time and successive trading from tribe to tribe up along the coast...

[@chrissonnenschein6634]

like the trade between shells, tobacco & corn on the east coast to Caribbean or MesoAmerica..

[@thebenefactor6744]

I guess.... I haven't said it as.....as often as I should have, and, uh, well.....thanks South America. You gave me some pretty awesome meals over the years with that spud. Especially with the garlic, and the sour cream 'n' dill. You're pretty amazing South America.

[@teucer915]

As a teenager, I was put on a medically mandated high-potassium diet. This led directly to my whole family learning a lot of potato and sweet potato recipes, and I have to thank the ancient people who domesticated those two wonderfully healthy crops.

[@KasumiRINA]

The starch is also extremely important as it is used in other dishes and even industry! It just makes them inedible raw.

[@arthurbarros5189]

this is a terrible thing to watch half hour before lunch, as I'm now terribly hungry for potatoes.

[@AncientAmericas]

My apologies.

[@waytakaq]

Any type of Andean potatoes and variations are great. Interesting fact is the the Inka Thupaq Yupanqi brought potatoes to Polynesia.

[@stevenv6463]

It's amazing how all cuisines changed after the 1500s.

[@AncientAmericas]

Yup.

[@kawaiikittylee]

Thank you! What a fascinating episode :)

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@Klaevin]

fun fact about how rugged potatoes are : because of north Korea being a mountainous hellscape (regardless of the politics of the people living there) the only crop that grows in sufficient abundance to feed the population is the potato. in fact, because of this, there are now huge differences between north and south korean cuisine. it used to be that northern korea would have harder, less nutritious (rice) in their diet. but now, it's mostly potato based

[@AncientAmericas]

Someone recently commented that north Korea has a song dedicated to the potato. That's some real appreciation right there.

[@Freedom_iwant]

The potato, the potato is the BEST Thank you American native peoples 🛐

[@sanexpreso2944]

The popular belief is that the Incas domesticated potatoes but it was not so, the Incas were only the culmination of the Andean civilizations, before the Incas there were many civilizations and cultures that domesticated and improved the use of all types of potatoes such as the Chavin, the Moche, the Nazca, the Wari etc ...

[@anempanada2260]

what a fantastic channel. thank you

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@frankwaldeck2359]

Could not even imagine life without potatoes.

[@AncientAmericas]

Same.

[@nromk]

I'm excited for the Americas and food series

[@AncientAmericas]

Just being transparent here but the next food episode probably isn't coming for awhile.

[@toddberkely6791]

7:25 clay can also be eaten during famine to simulate a sense of fullness. During famine people may have eaten clay and bitter potato out of desperation and discover that they neutralized the toxins in this way.

[@FunsongsCoUkaction_songs]

Excellently put together video which I use in my online English courses. Thank you!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@alexandrejosedacostaneto381]

Do you ever plan on doing a video on the Cassava plant? It's a incredibly important plant here in Brazil, and it was spread by the Portuguese to Africa and Asia. It's a extremely important crop in many tropical country

[@AncientAmericas]

It's on my list so hopefully I'll get to it someday.

[@blue5standingby684]

Always a joy to see a new upload from this channel

[@AncientAmericas]

Always a joy to see such appreciation!

[@Flint_Ironstag]

Boil 'em, smash 'em, stick 'em in a stew

[@witchflowers6942]

i love your channel so much. You’re a great resource for english speakers who are trying to learn.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@MWTravesty]

"What is a potato?" DUDE how you gonna just start the video with a philosophical bombshell like that?

[@AncientAmericas]

Whoops. Looks like I did.

[@ecuadorexpat8558]

I live in Ecuador..our potatoes are fabulous !!!! My favorite is the small Chaucha

[@xiKUDx]

I love potatoes. I write haikus about them. Here's a couple: Hammurusset: An eye for an eye Isn’t a valid justice at all When you have many Platato: Object of my dreams Perfectly round potato Only a figment

[@AncientAmericas]

A poet you are!

[@heyfitzpablum]

Eagerly awaiting your next video, AA. I really enjoy them.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! There will be a new one this week so stay tuned!

[@krov.]

Peruvian Potatos, love my country, i hate the politicans of my country, i love my potatos 🇵🇪❤️

[@msergio0293]

Y las palomas?

[@krov.]

@@msergio0293 Tambien mano, con su papas, uff aun mas rico

[@L.P.1987]

Tu país fue creado por y para esos políticos que odias. ¿Crees que realmente las poblaciones que hoy son Perú se habrían unido para formar un país voluntariamente?

[@krov.]

@@L.P.1987 Es culpa de la gente y la incapacidad del pueblo y los gobernantes por lo que este pais esta asi, al igual que media Hispanoamerica, lo de los pueblos originarios es la historia que se repite en varias de las actuales naciones en el mundo

[@L.P.1987]

@@krov. Es culpa del país en sí, ya que fue diseñado con ciertos intereses, motivo por el cual le cuesta tanto "cambiar" no solo a nivel económico, sino también social, cultural y claro, político. La mayoría de peruanos actuales tienen abuelos o padres inmigrantes andinos que ni siquiera eran tan patriotas del Perú, debido a que fue un país que se diseño sin ellos y que encima les afectó negativamente. Si ahora las zonas populosas abrazan con más pasión al Perú no es porque los ricos sean pecho-fríos, sino es una consecuencia subconsciente del clientelismo político propio del periodo de la "cholificación" contra las clases populares: tú me brindas tu apoyo para mi proyecto político y yo te permito ocupar (a.k.a. invadir) estos territorios circundantes de la ciudad. Y mejor ni hablemos de los selváticos que ninguno de los símbolos patrios los representa realmente o siquiera los visibiliza, a pesar de que su territorio conforma la mayoría territorial e incluso sufrieron DOS genocidios: el del Putumayo y el matsé. A mi me gusta mucho la cultura andina y considero como complemento enriquecedor todo lo demás: lo afrodescendiente, asiático, europeo y de la Luna también si quieres, pero no soy patriota de una farsa. Mucho le echan la culpa a los españoles o a los ingleses, pero con el mero hecho de conocer que los quechuas pasaron del 60% de la población al 15% entre los siglos XX y XXI ya te hace suponer que la culpa está en manos de otros...

[@Shimco]

"What a superbly featured room and what excellent boiled potatoes. Many years since I had such an exemplary vegetable"

[@Lala-io9gn]

Normally I don't consider genetic heritage as a worthwhile category for non-medical purposes, favoring cultural and societal identity and status, however I make an exception now (A joking exception of course): My grandmother's family is quechua (an Andean cultural-linguistic-ethno group,) and I feel that I deserve praise for my people's hand in the domestication and proliferation of potatoes. Cue the applause!

[@AncientAmericas]

Today, all the applause is yours!

[@DoctorProph3t]

Thanking your ancestors for potato, both the vegetable and the funny word for them.

[@Avocados365]

The potato is of Peruvian origin, i love potatos ✨

[@atlasaltera]

Starch rules everything around me... By the way, I've had white chuno too, but very simply prepared in a stew! Did you taste hay/funkiness in your dish? Very un-potato like in taste, was a bit of an acquired taste for me haha. Also, I didn't think to look into comparing how well potatoes store compared to other tubers! What's most interesting to me, however, is that potatoes, even if they can be stored longer than other tubers in terms of months, are stored/prepared to allow them to be stored at time lengths comparable to GRAIN, which are stored for years on end. Jerky aside, why isn't the process of making chuno done for any other tuber varieties, I wonder? Or maybe I need to do some digging...

[@AncientAmericas]

That's a good question. I'm not sure. Let me know if you find an answer!

[@GringoLoco]

In ancient times, sweet potato and other crops like avocado were dried as a form of preservation, because their remains have been unearthed at archaeological sites like Pachacamac, Cueva Tres Ventanas and Ocucaje, to name a few. See the online pdf article "Archaeological Remains of Potato and Sweet Potato in Peru" - (Ugent & Petersen 1988)

[@atlasaltera]

@@GringoLoco Dried avocado! That's something I didn't know about. I'll have to look into this...

[@atlasaltera]

Also I'm guessing with this video, Ancient Americas must now do a video on kumara/sweet potato too. That's too juicy a topic to pass up, especially the linguistics element to it.

[@GringoLoco]

@@atlasaltera the linguistics connected to the sweet potato's voyage across the Pacific isnt restricted just to its name, a Peruvian historian called José Antonio del Busto wrote a book about a purported voyage by Inca ruler Tupac Yupanqui to Polynesia, where he documented dozens of Quechua words were still in use on one island.

[@spacebunny4335]

Great video

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@gnostic268]

Yes! I love the history of all the food indigenous to North and South America. Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, chocolate, etc

[@lightbeingform]

I applied everything he said about potatoes to myself and it basically worked out so I feel pretty great now.

[@Rob_Fordd]

The only crop that can grow in all 5 regions of China (and China is the largest producer of them in the world these days)! Engels called the Potato as revolutionary as iron.

[@RAUFBEDAR]

Love this episode thank you so very much for sharing so now I’m subscribing to you

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@CaucAsianSasquatch]

I hosted a guest.. who explained that.. "The potato is not in the bible and therefore is not food." He claims that.. "Since the potato is not food, then consuming it leads to corruption and failure like in Ireland." But who am I to judge? I like mine baked and loaded ..with pulled pork barbecue.

[@AncientAmericas]

That's a pretty bizarre way to approach food but whatever floats the proverbial boat I suppose.

[@rosiehawtrey]

The best way to deal with that kind of person involves a Gatling cannon in 37x95mm Hotchkiss ranged and zeroed to 300yds. Its also the approved method for Christian Missionaries, Jehovahs Witnesses and Prohibitionists.. Alternatively you could send him to Belfast and tell him they all want to hear his manifesto down the local pub that doesn't have carpets .. He'd have the life expectancy of a chocolate fireguard...

[@maiqtheliar789]

There are a ton of foods not mentioned in the Bible. If you ate only foods found in the bible you are limited to pretty much pork, beef, mutton, venison, bread, milk, honey, fish and misc grains. Those grains don't include rice or maize either because those aren't mentioned in the Bible either. If you are REALLY going biblical then pork should be off the menu as well and you would keep kosher. Yes I know later on it was decided that Christians didn't have to keep kosher. But if you a fanatic enough to base your diet only to what is found in the bible then might as well keep kosher as it is the ONLY dietary restrictions found in the Bible.

[@CaucAsianSasquatch]

@@maiqtheliar789 I dont.

[@maiqtheliar789]

Yeah I know. I was talking about your guest. Just seems like an odd thing to base a diet on.

[@tonatiuhcortes9968]

Rice beans and potatoes are truly the gifts this world has given us. I recently moved out of my parents and cook most of my own food and not a day goes by that I won’t eat those 3 staples

[@americameinyourmouth9964]

The potato along with the development of the rule of law and property rights are thought to be major reasons why the Industrial Revolution happened in Europe and the US first. The potato as a highly nutritious plant supplementing diets saw the European population balloon in the 1700 and 1800s which caused rapid urbanization. Urbanization is the most dynamic force in industrialization as people interact and collaborate allowing ideas and innovation to flourish. We always remember individual inventors but forgot how much they learned and collaborated with other innovators and geniuses of their time.

[@rosiehawtrey]

The term you're looking for is "nicked other peoples ideas".

[@americameinyourmouth9964]

Keep the specifics of your inventions close to the chest. Then patent them, which is the “property rights” that incentivized the Industrial Revolution.

[@jaegrant6441]

The closing off of land to common people, stripping them of their ancient rights to access land for grazing and growing crops is the reason rapid urbanisation occurred, because people were starving in the country due to the fact they had no way to get their own food anymore and we have been dependent on the teats of elites ever since

[@roan2288]

@@rosiehawtrey spiteful mutant detected

[@blenderbanana]

Potatoes make us horny?

[@NORTH02]

Great channel

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@jhoxha]

When I was writing my BA thesis on the rise of Prussia , I came across some economic studies that had some very interesting data on the impact potato farming had. It was very suited to the harsh weather and the marshy land of especially Pomerania and in general the whole of the Baltic coast.

[@ArcticTron]

I think a testament to how common the Potato is outside of its original range is that I literally ate some mashed potatoes while watching this video, I didn't even intend for it to happen it just happened.

[@baptistamercado1380]

2:57 “The Botany of Desire” writer spoke about potatoes being packed with almost all the nutrients needed to survive… it’s just missing vitamin D; making mashed potatoes (with milk) is the ultimate comfort and survival food.

[@katiem.3109]

They also don't have vitamin B12 (unsurprising, as the only natural sources of vitamin B12 are animal-source foods), and only have negligible amounts of some other nutrients like calcium. Still, a remarkably healthy tuber.

[@niknik7470]

I never thought I'd be watching a documentary about potatos but here the fuck i am.

[@AncientAmericas]

I had similar thoughts when making this video.

[@jeremiasrobinson]

Watching from the San Luis Valley (where a lot of potatoes are grown).

[@advicepirate8673]

High Five from La Jara!

[@jeremiasrobinson]

What do you do in La Jara? What's you're name?@@advicepirate8673

[@advicepirate8673]

(redacted)

[@advicepirate8673]

We are sick of being lonely. We want genuine interactions with people. We also want to be in control. We want to vet the people around us, we want to be safe. The reality is that those desires are mutually exclusive. It's the greatest disconnect of our time. Is it love or fear that drives you? Take your pick.

[@melis6294]

I'm Peruvian born in the heart of the Andes Cusco. I live abroad now. I grew up eating potatoes and chuño (Dried potato) almost every day. The flavor of Peruvian potatoes are out of this world. Hope to be back soon to eat more real potatoes.

[@henrimourant9855]

As a vegan I am incredibly grateful that potatos exist lol. It became my meat replacement haha. They're amazing.

[@rosiehawtrey]

You can take color photos with them too.. Technology connections.

[@scintillam_dei]

As a microbe I am upset that you murder my kin in your acidic gut. See a video of a microbe fleeing a white blood cell. They don't want to die.

[@anon-iraq2655]

Yeah they dont have protein boss

[@gg3675]

@@anon-iraq2655 They most definitely do have protein.

[@anon-iraq2655]

@@gg3675 negligeble amounts

[@joseaca1010]

12:35 you completely blew my mind here, i moved to chile from venezuela, i had only seen beef jerky on TV, so when i saw "Charki" over here i assumed it was a hispanized version of the word "jerky", like how we call baseball, "beisbol", i had no idea the relationship was the other way around

[@AncientAmericas]

I was surprised too! I always assumed jerky was from the US. I didn't realize it came from South America.

[@kappa9789]

In konkani language spoken in Goa on West coast of India , we call potato as 'batato' , now i know why. Love the video ,you got a new subscriber.

[@guillermodavila5128]

Niiice video! You should also make one about Tomato and Cacao 👍👍👍

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@modularsamples]

How about an episode on one of the continents less universally loved exports, tobacco, coca or psychedelics? Love the channel BTW, keep up the good work!

[@AncientAmericas]

I got plenty of plants on the list so don't you worry. And thank you!

[@eingrobernerzustand3741]

@@AncientAmericas Did you read the book "Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation" from 1989? Also, are any videos on agriculture systems of pre-Columbian america, like on waffle gardens or Chinampa

[@spicyalpastor3310]

psychedelics as you say we're not used recreationally, they were used medicinally. Also none of these were exported, they were exploited by the colonial powers.

[@joshuapatrick682]

Perhaps the most important food in human history?

[@heyfitzpablum]

Great video. As exciting as it is to find hidden artifacts and treasure, the real important contribution of the new world to the old world is foodstuffs like potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, beans, yams, peanuts and maize.

[@heyfitzpablum]

@Ernest Torres I knew about Avocado, pumpkin and chocolate-but Vanilla as well?? I did not know that, Thanks!

[@davidjoelsson4929]

@@heyfitzpablum chilis also

[@heyfitzpablum]

@Ernest Torres Yeah, we can't forget the chili peppers and chili beans! European food was bland until they started importing Mesoamerican spices. I can't imagine life without my salsa! The Spanish concentrated mainly on precious metals, but the impact of all these foodstuffs on European history post-Columbian is infinitely greater than all the gold/silver wealth brought back in the Galleons. Man always focuses on the wrong things, throughout our history.

[@mfun503]

Strawberries as well.

[@MountainFisher]

@Ernest Torres LOL x2

[@andonibisama5080]

La papa se cultiva y consume en Chile desde la más remota antigüedad. Los habitantes de Monteverde, el lugar de América con la datación de poblamiento más antigua, ya consumían papas. Saludos.

[@Renderlesscharacter2454]

en chiloe

[@BrunoPicaso]

Tengo entendido que la papa es originaria de Perú y parte de Bolivia, cuando los Incas tomaron lo que hoy es Chile llevaron la papa hasta allá, el origen está en los alrededores del lago Titicaca, por algo Perú tiene más de 4 mil variedades de papá, tan solo huayro, nativa o huamantanga sería un sueño encontrar en Chile

[@itacom2199]

You can even make pasta with potatoes, that's so cool

[@AncientAmericas]

Gnocchi anyone?

[@itacom2199]

@@AncientAmericas exatly

[@arturogonzalez6232]

In Mexico our caldo de res could not be complete without potatoes. We have to give thanks and recognition to Peru for this amazing crop.