The Netherlands: A Potato-Loving Land

Potato in the Dutch language is "aardappel" (earth apple.) We share some of our collection to explore the potato-happy and profitable nation of The Netherlands. Some facts:
--a major producer and consumer of potatoes, and is a global leader in potato breeding and seed production.
--one of the world's largest potato producers, about 8 million tons of potatoes per year.
-- a leader in the production of seed potatoes, potatoes for consumption, and potatoes for processing.
--potato production is due in part to its favorable climate and fertile soil and yields per acre are among the highest in the world
The Dutch eat an average of 72 grams of potatoes per day, 3.5 days a week, about 53 kilos of potatoes a year.
The Netherlands is a global leader in potato breeding and seed production and has created many world-famous potato varieties.
The Netherlands exports about 10% of the world's consumption potatoes.
In 2016, the Netherlands exported $700 million worth of raw potatoes.
Home to Van Gogh's famous painting "The Potato Eaters," the Dutch enjoy a variety of preparations.
The Dutch did not discover its culinary possibilities until 1727 after which there was no stopping them (and all the other Europeans).
The potato riots took place in Amsterdam’s Jordaan district in 1917 when there was a shortage of affordable spuds for the local population. On July 2, rioting broke out and warehouses and shops were looted. The army was eventually brought in to restore order leaving nine people dead and 114 injured.
Considering how important potatoes are in the Dutch diet, remarkably few have made it into popular sayings. Most are no longer in common usage, such as ‘the stupidest farmers produce the fattest potatoes’ which means that sometimes luck counts for more than knowledge.
Met een hete aardappel in de keel praten (to speak with a hot potato in your gullet) means to talk in posh accent, and de aardappels afgieten (drain the potatoes) is a novel way for men to say they are off for a pee.
The Eigenheimer variety gives its name to a person who goes his own way, and that expression is still very much in use. The name originally comes from ‘eigen heim’ or ‘own land’, where the potato was grown.
The Dutch suffered during the 1945-6 potato blight and then again with food shortages in WW2. Dutch Mormons (Church of the Latter Day Saints) after the war grew and donated potatoes to fellow, starving Mormons in Germany. Their former enemies reciprocated by sending food and other supplies after a devastating flood in the 1950s.

[@Jan-Boer]

Nice to see, thanks. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@thepotatomuseum]

Thanks for watching. We enjoy sharing. We are so fond and proud of the Netherlands.