Archaeological excavations have shown that humans have been growing potatoes for at least 7,000 years. It is known for certain that this vegetable was the staple food of the tribes that lived in the Andes region: Bolivia, Peru, Chile. The first tubers were brought to Europe from South America by Spanish sailors. It was in the last quarter of the 16th century. Although for some reason, for a long time, the English pirate Francis Drake, and not the Spaniards, was considered the father of the discoverer of the potato. Moreover, in the city of Offenburg there is a monument to the famous Englishman, on which the inscription "Sir Francis Drake, who brought potatoes to Europe in the year 1580" is carved. Subsequently, the British themselves recognized this historical fact as a myth, pointing out that Drake could not bring potatoes to Europe, since his ships never approached the shores of South America.
If representatives of different nations are still fighting for the title of "father of potatoes", then the name of the person who first described the potato is known for sure. This is the Spaniard Pedro Cheza de Leon. He studied Peru quite thoroughly for his time and published a book in Seville, which he called "The Chronicle of Peru". It was from her that Europeans first learned about potatoes. "Papa (as the Peruvian Indians called potatoes) is a special kind of peanuts. When cooked, they become soft, like a baked chestnut ... They are covered with a skin, no thicker than the skin of a truffle."
Following the example of the Peruvians, the Spaniards also began to call the outlandish vegetable "papa", or "patata". From the latter comes the English "potato". In many languages, the name of the potato sounds like "earthy apple": in French - pomme de terre, in Danish - aaedappel, in Hebrew - tapuah adama, in Austrian - Erdapfel.
Some linguists are of the opinion that the "potato" we are used to comes from the German words "Kraft" - "strength" and "Teufel" - "devil". In the Moldovan language it sounds more abbreviated: "cartof". Thus, the free translation of the word "potato" into Russian sounds like "devilish force". Still harmless potatoes were called "devil's apple", and this is no coincidence, since the foreign fruit was considered poisonous.
For a long time, an unpretentious vegetable could not take root in Europe. The most progressive minds of that time, and even crowned persons, were thrown into its popularization. In this regard, the history of the conquest of France by potatoes is interesting.
In 1769, the country experienced a severe famine due to a poor grain harvest. Anyone who finds a worthy substitute for bread was promised a great reward. The Parisian pharmacist Antoine Auguste Parmentier became its owner. While in captivity in Germany, Parmentier tasted potatoes for the first time and, returning to his homeland, brought them with him. He studied the potatoes well and realized that this was what he needed. Before him, French doctors argued that potatoes are poisonous, even the parliament of 1630, by a special decree, prohibited the cultivation of potatoes in France.
In Paris, he arranged a dinner, all dishes of which were made from potatoes, and which everyone liked very much. In 1771, Parmentier wrote: "Among the countless number of plants that cover the land surface and the water surface of the globe, there is, perhaps, not one that deserves the attention of good citizens with greater right than the potato." However, the population was afraid of earthen tubers like fire. The pharmacist went for a trick. He begged the then King Louis XV for a piece of sandy land. Having plowed up the "barren" land, the naturalist entrusted precious tubers to it. When the potatoes bloomed, he collected a bunch of flowers and presented them to the king. And soon the queen appeared at a big party with potato flowers in her hair. When the potatoes were ripe, Parmontier ordered the guards to cordon off the field and keep no one near. His calculation turned out to be correct: the curious trod many paths to the field. People wanted to see the mysterious fruit that is so closely guarded.
At night, the pharmacist removed the guards, allegedly as unnecessary, because in the dark the potatoes are not visible. A few nights later, the field was empty.The potato "went" to the people. Already next spring, the "earthen apple" was planted in almost all provinces. Subsequently, grateful descendants erected a monument to the persistent pharmacist, on the pedestal of which is written: "To the Benefactor of Humanity."
