Potato

The potato is a starchy root vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. The Spanish introduced potatoes to Europe in the second half of the 16th century. They are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply.

Potatoes

Quotes

• La manie des Pommes de terre.
  • Potato mania.
  • Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, Examen chymique des pommes de terre (1773), p. 225

• When people live on poor vegetables instead of roast beef and plum-pudding, their jaws grow large, and their lips grow coarse, like the poor Paddies who eat potatoes.
  • Charles Kingsley, The Water-Babies (1863), ch. 6

• In the matter of ‘roots’, especially potatoes, the Gaffer was recognized as the leading authority by all in the neighbourhood (including himself).
  • J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (1952), A Long-expected Party

• Sam: What we need is a few good taters.
  Gollum: What's "taters", precious? What's "taters", eh?
  Sam: Po-ta-toes! Boil em, mash em, stick 'em in a stew. Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish.
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 film)

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Potato on Wikipedia