åsa sonjasdotter / Poster

The potato has always played an important part in the lives of the South American natives both as an everyday food and as a cultural influence.

The Spanish explorers of the 1500's were the first Europeans to come in contact with potatoes. They had ventured to South America, nearly 500 years ago, in search of gold, treasure, and new land.

Along with the gold loot taken from South American natives, the Spanish conquistadors carried potatoes back to their homeland aboard their ships. The Spaniards also saw the potato as a valuable source of food for the Inca slaves, forced to work in Spanish silver mines in Bolivia.

“However it is prepared, this root is tasteless and starchy. One would not include it among the agreeable foods, but it does provide plentiful and sufficiently healthful nourishment for men who do not require more than sustenance. The potato is correctly held for flatulence; but what is flatulence to the vigorous digestions of peasants and workers?”
Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert in L’Encyclopédie(1751-1777)

With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, demand for cheap food increased sharply in Europe. Factory owners wanted an economical means of feeding their workers while retaining their workers’ productivity. The potato was the perfect remedy and came into increasing demand, since it contains considerable food energy, gives a high yield and yet is very easy to cultivate.   
Text: collections.ic.gc.ca