Potatoes and History | The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered

Transcript
0:00 · this episode of the history guy brought
0:01 · to you by Magellan TV of all the goods
0:05 · that cross the ocean in the Columbian
0:06 · Exchange perhaps none has become more
0:08 · ubiquitous than the humble potato it's
0:12 · become the centerpiece of hundreds of
0:13 · dishes its parts of all sorts of
0:15 · cuisines but that didn't really happen
0:17 · overnight originally cultivated by the
0:20 · Incas potatoes were brought back to the
0:22 · old world by some of the earliest
0:24 · European explorers but people in Europe
0:26 · didn't initially find them to be well
0:28 · particularly edible it was circumstances
0:31 · at a few diehard potato fans that made
0:34 · the potato popular across the continent
0:37 · it is history that deserves to be
0:39 · remembered but before we talk about
0:42 · potatoes I would like to take a moment
0:43 · to talk about the sponsor of today's
0:45 · episode Magellan TV you've heard me talk
0:47 · about Magellan TV before you know the
0:49 · history guy loves Magellan TV and thinks
0:51 · that everybody should subscribe it's a
0:53 · new type of streaming documentary
0:55 · service it's made by filmmakers it's got
0:57 · more than two thousand find quality
0:59 · documentaries for you to watch I know
1:01 · that many of us are stuck at home right
1:02 · now and trying to figure out even how to
1:04 · fill our time instead of binge watching
1:05 · some old TV show it's a great time to
1:08 · learn and Magellan is a great place to
1:11 · do that one series I've really enjoyed
1:14 · lately is called magnificent 3 which
1:17 · focuses on the impacts on history from
1:19 · three of the world's greatest cities
1:20 · Amsterdam London and New York it's a
1:23 · delightful series that has the
1:25 · interesting details and makes the sort
1:26 · of connections that the history Guy fans
1:28 · love I'm a big fan of history
1:31 · documentaries but you might enjoy
1:32 · science or space or nature all of which
1:35 · Magellan TV offers Magellan TV has the
1:37 · richest and most varied history content
1:39 · available anywhere it's got ancient
1:41 · modern current early modern more
1:43 · biography and of course even not
1:45 · historical genres like at science and
1:47 · crime are historical in nature you can
1:49 · watch magnificent three cities that
1:51 · shaped history anywhere on your
1:53 · television laptop or mobile device
1:55 · Magellan is compatible with roku amazon
1:57 · firetv Apple TV Google Play and iOS and
2:00 · you can even cast from your phone to
2:02 · your television if you have not signed
2:05 · up for Magellan TV already you really
2:07 · should and if you have signed up
2:08 · checkout magnificent three three cities
2:11 · that shaped history it's a great
2:13 · series and you know the best thing is
2:15 · that Magellan is offering one month free
2:17 · trial to fans of the history guy and to
2:19 · get that one month free trial all you
2:20 · have to do is sign up using the link in
2:22 · the description potato seem to have been
2:25 · domesticated between seven and ten
2:27 · thousand years ago by the indigenous
2:28 · peoples of the Andes modern Peruvians
2:31 · still raise hundreds of varieties of
2:33 · potato in those same fields the Inka
2:35 · created countless dishes with potatoes
2:37 · including a very light freeze-dried
2:39 · version that could be carried by the
2:41 · Incan armies in lasted ten years
2:42 · providing a supply against famine
2:45 · potatoes didn't leave the new world
2:47 · until Francisco Pizarro led his
2:48 · conquistadors to conquer the Incan
2:50 · Empire in 1532 it took some time to
2:54 · reach Europe with some of the earliest
2:55 · examples reaching Antwerp from the
2:57 · Canary Islands in 1567 by 1600 the
3:00 · potato had reached most of Western
3:02 · Europe as food the potato was not
3:04 · immediately popular while the Spanish
3:06 · and other Europeans likely used potatoes
3:08 · as food on their voyages from South
3:10 · America potatoes were more often fed to
3:12 · livestock or eaten only as a last resort
3:15 · the first scientific description of the
3:17 · potato came in 1596 from a Swiss
3:20 · naturalist who gave it the name solanum
3:22 · tuberosum the potato was unpopular for a
3:26 · lot of reasons it is a nightshade which
3:28 · Europeans knew to be poisonous and in
3:30 · fact the flowers and growths of potatoes
3:32 · contain the toxic chemical compound
3:33 · solanine another issue was that some
3:36 · such as the russian orthodox church
3:38 · thought the potato suspect because it
3:40 · isn't mentioned in the bible it was
3:43 · sometimes called the devil's apple and
3:45 · some said it was used by witches to make
3:46 · flying ointment most important to
3:49 · understand perhaps is the perspective of
3:51 · the european peasantry accustomed to
3:54 · grains and bread potatoes were an
3:56 · unfamiliar misshapen and dirty vegetable
3:58 · people didn't know what to do with them
4:00 · but after budding into a raw one they
4:03 · were pretty sure it wasn't food in the
4:05 · first years after its introduction
4:07 · potatoes were in a few places like
4:08 · England and Spain considered a delicacy
4:10 · and an aphrodisiac
4:12 · Shakespeare mentions potatoes in this
4:14 · context in several plays and English dr.
4:17 · William Salman said potatoes nourished
4:19 · the whole body restore its consumptions
4:21 · and provoke lust the director of the
4:25 · Royal Botanical Garden said potatoes
4:26 · were purchased
4:27 · when scarce at no inconsiderable cost
4:29 · for those that believed in their powers
4:31 · eventually their stock receipt of Europe
4:33 · began to realize that potatoes had some
4:35 · hidden benefits one of the early
4:38 · supporters of the potato was Frederick
4:39 · the Great of Prussia when Frederick
4:42 · Tests ended the Prussian throne in 1740
4:44 · Frederick sought to consolidate his
4:45 · kingdoms holdings and strengthen his
4:47 · position on the continent shortly after
4:50 · taking the throne and became involved in
4:51 · the war of austrian secession which
4:53 · lasted until 1748 endemic warfare in
4:57 · europe put frequent strain on food
4:59 · supplies large armies needed to
5:01 · requisition more and more food causing
5:03 · widespread devastation and starvation
5:05 · famines caused by the 30 Years War from
5:08 · 1618 to 1648 were some of the worst in
5:11 · European history with population
5:13 · declines as high as 50% in some regions
5:15 · the introduction of the potato began to
5:18 · change that the first people to figure
5:20 · out the virtues of the potato were
5:21 · peasants who found that armies would
5:23 · ignore them completely when they came to
5:25 · requisition food peasants luckily first
5:28 · ate the potato out of desperation but
5:30 · the food proved to have much greater
5:31 · caloric density than wheat and better
5:33 · nutrition
5:34 · Frederick noted that despite military
5:37 · requisitioning the peasants were staying
5:38 · fed and even if the army did target
5:40 · potatoes they were harder to destroy or
5:43 · take than stores of wheat in 1744 he
5:46 · added potatoes to his army stores and
5:48 · ordered seed potatoes tubers that would
5:50 · grow implanted to be distributed across
5:52 · Prussia Frederick's patronage didn't
5:55 · convince his people at first when the
5:57 · town of Kohlberg received their first
5:59 · cart load they were disgusted and told
6:00 · the king these things have no taste
6:02 · not even dogs will eat them what use are
6:04 · they to us Frederick threatened that any
6:07 · peasants that refused would have their
6:09 · noses cut off but the next year sent a
6:11 · guard who had seen the benefits of
6:13 · potatoes to encourage their planting in
6:14 · Kolberg in 1756 he would even further
6:18 · with the potato edict which ordered
6:20 · everyone in Prussia to plant potatoes
6:22 · wherever they could find room for them
6:24 · this caused an important shift in
6:26 · agriculture as planted to the potato
6:28 · fields would be left fallow to restore
6:30 · the soil now they were filled with
6:32 · potatoes potatoes began to massively
6:35 · change European food production and
6:36 · supply cheap Hardy and less likely to
6:39 · spoil potatoes offered a cushion
6:40 · famine and effectively doubled or more
6:43 · the European food supply frederik
6:46 · actively advertised potatoes in this
6:47 · effort paid off handsomely when the
6:49 · Seven Years War began in 1756 Prussia
6:52 · was faced with wave after wave of
6:54 · invasion but the Kingdom proved
6:55 · remarkably resilient Prussian fortunes
6:58 · were a near thing it was a godsend when
7:00 · the Russian Queen died and Russia
7:01 · switched sides to ally with Prussia
7:03 · potatoes kept the situation at home
7:05 · manageable long enough for the kingdom's
7:07 · fortunes to shift Frederick supported
7:10 · potatoes so enthusiastically that he was
7:12 · called the potato King and people still
7:15 · leave potatoes at his grave
7:18 · Russia's potatoes caught the attention
7:20 · of other European powers in Austria
7:22 · Russia and France all pushed for the
7:24 · peasants to grow potatoes after the war
7:25 · the war also produced one of the most
7:27 · important promoters of the potato
7:29 · antoine augustin Parmentier permit CA
7:32 · was a pharmacist in the French army and
7:34 · was captured several times was in prison
7:36 · for years by the Prussians where he was
7:38 · had nothing but potatoes when he
7:40 · returned to France after the war he was
7:42 · amazed that his health had not suffered
7:44 · it convinced him the potatoes would make
7:46 · a good food source the French had
7:48 · actually banned the planting of potatoes
7:50 · in 1748 I have the suspicion that it
7:52 · caused illness Parmentier began doing
7:54 · pioneering work in nutritional chemistry
7:57 · trying to understand what in food was
7:58 · nourishing to humans in 1772 he won a
8:02 · contest so you can find the best food
8:04 · capable of reducing the calamities of
8:06 · famine the potato Parmentier also
8:10 · convinced the Paris Faculty of Medicine
8:11 · to declare the potato edible he also
8:14 · published a paper explaining how to make
8:15 · potato bread that was similar to wheat
8:17 · bread he hosted a feast made up of only
8:20 · potato dishes which Benjamin Franklin
8:23 · attended in 1767 in 1785 he finally
8:26 · received royal backing for his efforts
8:28 · possibly after presenting king louis xvi
8:30 · and his wife marie antoinette with a
8:32 · bouquet of potato flowers marie wore one
8:35 · in her hair while louis started a
8:37 · fashion of wearing them in the
8:38 · buttonhole potatoes started to become
8:40 · popular at the court though that wasn't
8:42 · necessarily good in the lead-up to the
8:44 · French Revolution it helped to the
8:46 · potato saved a bad grain harvest in 1785
8:49 · from becoming a disastrous famine his
8:52 · most audacious attempt to popularize the
8:53 · potato came after
8:54 · 1787 when the King allowed Parmentier to
8:57 · plant 40 acres of potatoes near Paris at
9:00 · harvest Parmentier posted guards to
9:02 · chase away onlookers during the day but
9:04 · withdrew them at night
9:06 · the peasants assuming that only
9:07 · something valuable would be guarded
9:09 · stole from the fields this story or a
9:12 · very similar version of it has been told
9:14 · across Europe and attributed the various
9:15 · kings or leaders especially to Frederick
9:17 · the Great of Prussia though no
9:19 · contemporary records seem to prove that
9:20 · Frederick did it before Parmentier the
9:23 · potatoes popularity exploded and the
9:25 · king called parmentier that France will
9:27 · thank you someday for having found bread
9:28 · for the poor though Louis was destined
9:31 · to lose his head only a few years later
9:33 · parmentier became a hero potatoes were
9:35 · declared to be the food of the
9:37 · revolution and royal ornamental gardens
9:39 · were torn up to be replanted with
9:41 · potatoes permit J's influence spread not
9:45 · only to France but across the continent
9:46 · and apparently across the pond Thomas
9:49 · Jefferson had parties worked in his
9:51 · library and became a supporter of the
9:52 · potato in America so he took meals in
9:54 · the White House during his presidency
9:56 · Jefferson a famous Francophile is also
9:59 · credited with being the first to serve
10:00 · fried potatoes that he had seen in
10:02 · France the now ubiquitous french fries
10:06 · it's hard to overestimate the importance
10:08 · of the potato to history Europe was
10:10 · plagued with famines with at least 50
10:12 · major nationwide famines hitting France
10:14 · between 1500 and 1800 most nations in
10:17 · Europe managed to grow just enough food
10:19 · to satisfy their needs so looting armies
10:21 · bad harvests and crop failures left
10:23 · countries without anything to eat
10:24 · potatoes solve all kinds of problems for
10:27 · Europe for a time it essentially ended
10:29 · famines in Europe massively increased
10:31 · food supply and provide a much better
10:32 · nutrition which improved health and
10:34 · birth rates potatoes provided an easy to
10:36 · prepare nutrient-dense food supply for
10:38 · the Industrial Revolution as factory
10:41 · workers toiled away for up to 16 hours a
10:42 · day the potato played an important role
10:45 · in driving population growth with modern
10:47 · study showing strong correlations with
10:49 · increased population and better health
10:51 · the European population grew from 140
10:53 · million in 1750 to 400 million 150 years
10:57 · later a 2009 study found that the
11:00 · increase in nutritional carrying
11:02 · capacity didn't just provide food for
11:03 · factory workers but actually helped to
11:05 · drive economic growth and urbanization
11:08 · well it's impossible to know just how
11:10 · much of the changes directly do to
11:12 · potatoes is certain that it was an
11:14 · integral part of the Industrial
11:15 · Revolution and modernization another
11:18 · product from the Americas served to help
11:20 · agricultural production even more guano
11:23 · in 1840 Justus von Liebig published his
11:26 · pioneering work describing the
11:27 · importance of nitrogen in plant growth
11:28 · in the production of chlorophyll in that
11:31 · he also extolled guano as a major source
11:33 · of nitrogen which revealed guano as the
11:35 · world's first high intensity fertilizer
11:37 · the guano boom was historic in itself
11:40 · and it again doubled or even tripled
11:41 · agricultural yields the 1/2 of guano and
11:45 · potatoes created the basis for modern
11:47 · industrial agriculture but all this game
11:51 · came with a risk that no one predicted
11:53 · because potatoes were grown using tubers
11:55 · they were essentially clones of each
11:58 · other creating a dangerous monoculture
12:00 · across the continent nowhere was this
12:02 · risk more exemplified than in Ireland
12:05 · unlike France England or Germany in
12:07 · Ireland potatoes took off quickly it's
12:09 · not clear who first brought the potato
12:11 · to Ireland but certainly they arrive
12:12 · before 1600 Ireland was well suited for
12:15 · the potato and also had a very rural
12:17 · population that was always struggling
12:18 · with the food supply much of the best
12:21 · land was used for raising cattle and
12:23 · cash crops for British markets
12:24 · leaving marginal land to the peasants
12:26 · government policy had allowed
12:28 · subdivision of lands have set no crop
12:29 · other than potatoes would suffice to
12:31 · feed a family while war and shortage
12:34 · drove the adoption of potatoes elsewhere
12:36 · in Ireland they already had no other
12:38 · options by 1800 nearly 40% of the Irish
12:42 · ate no solid food other than potatoes
12:44 · with the number being 10 to 30% in
12:46 · countries like Belgium the Netherlands
12:48 · and Prussia policies had forced Ireland
12:51 · into monoculture making the population
12:53 · particularly vulnerable to a crop blight
12:56 · then came fight Opeth hora infestans
12:59 · translating roughly to vexing plant
13:01 · destroyer it is a water mole that causes
13:03 · potato blight the European potato crop
13:05 · was particularly vulnerable because of
13:07 · its lack of genetic diversity pea
13:09 · infestans seems to have originated in
13:12 · central Mexico and specifically affects
13:14 · nightshade plants like the tomato and
13:15 · potato it was probably brought to Europe
13:18 · as part of the huge volume of trade from
13:20 · South America that was brought on by the
13:21 · guano
13:22 · it seems to have first broken out in
13:24 · Flanders in 1845 but the mold spread
13:26 · quickly to Denmark Germany and England
13:28 · was first reported in Ireland September
13:31 · 13th 1845 the blight destroyed 25 to 35
13:35 · percent of the crop that year and the
13:37 · damage only got worse until it wound
13:38 · down in 1852 the effects of the blight
13:42 · compounded by land policy that allowed
13:44 · for example food to be exported from
13:46 · Ireland even during the worst years of
13:47 · the famine and evictions that left
13:49 · people with no means to feed their
13:50 · family killed at least a million Irish
13:52 · people and cost two million more to flee
13:54 · the country
13:55 · damage to crops elsewhere notably in
13:57 · Scotland were deep enough to give the
13:59 · 1840s the moniker the hungry forties
14:01 · though nowhere is badly hit as Ireland
14:05 · historically potatoes have been an
14:06 · integral part of the development of the
14:08 · modern world studies have repeatedly
14:10 · shown a correlation between the
14:11 · introduction of the potato and improved
14:13 · health and increased population for the
14:16 · first time a defendant solution had been
14:18 · found to the world's food problem wrote
14:20 · his story in Christian Bandhan broke in
14:22 · the 1970s potatoes along with guano
14:25 · marked the beginning of industrial
14:27 · agriculture and the continued
14:28 · improvement of the world's food
14:30 · production today the potato is the
14:33 · number one non grain food crop produced
14:35 · in the world there's an important part
14:37 · of countless diets around the world from
14:38 · snacks to hearty dinners but blight and
14:41 · other threats remain issues for modern
14:43 · growers forcing producers continually
14:44 · find new pesticides to deal with quickly
14:46 · adapting threats like the Colorado
14:48 · potato beetle potatoes went from a local
14:52 · staple of the Peruvian mountains to an
14:54 · ugly inedible root to one of the most
14:57 · important foodstuffs in history that's
15:00 · quite a journey for a simple tuber I
15:03 · hope you enjoyed this episode of the
15:05 · history guy short snippets a forgotten
15:07 · history between 10 and 15 minutes long
15:09 · and if you did enjoy please go ahead and
15:10 · click that thumbs up button if you have
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15:15 · in the comment section I will be happy
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15:30 · you
15:31 · [Music]

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Transcript
0:00	·	this episode of the history guy brought
0:01	·	to you by Magellan TV of all the goods
0:05	·	that cross the ocean in the Columbian
0:06	·	Exchange perhaps none has become more
0:08	·	ubiquitous than the humble potato it's
0:12	·	become the centerpiece of hundreds of
0:13	·	dishes its parts of all sorts of
0:15	·	cuisines but that didn't really happen
0:17	·	overnight originally cultivated by the
0:20	·	Incas potatoes were brought back to the
0:22	·	old world by some of the earliest
0:24	·	European explorers but people in Europe
0:26	·	didn't initially find them to be well
0:28	·	particularly edible it was circumstances
0:31	·	at a few diehard potato fans that made
0:34	·	the potato popular across the continent
0:37	·	it is history that deserves to be
0:39	·	remembered but before we talk about
0:42	·	potatoes I would like to take a moment
0:43	·	to talk about the sponsor of today's
0:45	·	episode Magellan TV you've heard me talk
0:47	·	about Magellan TV before you know the
0:49	·	history guy loves Magellan TV and thinks
0:51	·	that everybody should subscribe it's a
0:53	·	new type of streaming documentary
0:55	·	service it's made by filmmakers it's got
0:57	·	more than two thousand find quality
0:59	·	documentaries for you to watch I know
1:01	·	that many of us are stuck at home right
1:02	·	now and trying to figure out even how to
1:04	·	fill our time instead of binge watching
1:05	·	some old TV show it's a great time to
1:08	·	learn and Magellan is a great place to
1:11	·	do that one series I've really enjoyed
1:14	·	lately is called magnificent 3 which
1:17	·	focuses on the impacts on history from
1:19	·	three of the world's greatest cities
1:20	·	Amsterdam London and New York it's a
1:23	·	delightful series that has the
1:25	·	interesting details and makes the sort
1:26	·	of connections that the history Guy fans
1:28	·	love I'm a big fan of history
1:31	·	documentaries but you might enjoy
1:32	·	science or space or nature all of which
1:35	·	Magellan TV offers Magellan TV has the
1:37	·	richest and most varied history content
1:39	·	available anywhere it's got ancient
1:41	·	modern current early modern more
1:43	·	biography and of course even not
1:45	·	historical genres like at science and
1:47	·	crime are historical in nature you can
1:49	·	watch magnificent three cities that
1:51	·	shaped history anywhere on your
1:53	·	television laptop or mobile device
1:55	·	Magellan is compatible with roku amazon
1:57	·	firetv Apple TV Google Play and iOS and
2:00	·	you can even cast from your phone to
2:02	·	your television if you have not signed
2:05	·	up for Magellan TV already you really
2:07	·	should and if you have signed up
2:08	·	checkout magnificent three three cities
2:11	·	that shaped history it's a great
2:13	·	series and you know the best thing is
2:15	·	that Magellan is offering one month free
2:17	·	trial to fans of the history guy and to
2:19	·	get that one month free trial all you
2:20	·	have to do is sign up using the link in
2:22	·	the description potato seem to have been
2:25	·	domesticated between seven and ten
2:27	·	thousand years ago by the indigenous
2:28	·	peoples of the Andes modern Peruvians
2:31	·	still raise hundreds of varieties of
2:33	·	potato in those same fields the Inka
2:35	·	created countless dishes with potatoes
2:37	·	including a very light freeze-dried
2:39	·	version that could be carried by the
2:41	·	Incan armies in lasted ten years
2:42	·	providing a supply against famine
2:45	·	potatoes didn't leave the new world
2:47	·	until Francisco Pizarro led his
2:48	·	conquistadors to conquer the Incan
2:50	·	Empire in 1532 it took some time to
2:54	·	reach Europe with some of the earliest
2:55	·	examples reaching Antwerp from the
2:57	·	Canary Islands in 1567 by 1600 the
3:00	·	potato had reached most of Western
3:02	·	Europe as food the potato was not
3:04	·	immediately popular while the Spanish
3:06	·	and other Europeans likely used potatoes
3:08	·	as food on their voyages from South
3:10	·	America potatoes were more often fed to
3:12	·	livestock or eaten only as a last resort
3:15	·	the first scientific description of the
3:17	·	potato came in 1596 from a Swiss
3:20	·	naturalist who gave it the name solanum
3:22	·	tuberosum the potato was unpopular for a
3:26	·	lot of reasons it is a nightshade which
3:28	·	Europeans knew to be poisonous and in
3:30	·	fact the flowers and growths of potatoes
3:32	·	contain the toxic chemical compound
3:33	·	solanine another issue was that some
3:36	·	such as the russian orthodox church
3:38	·	thought the potato suspect because it
3:40	·	isn't mentioned in the bible it was
3:43	·	sometimes called the devil's apple and
3:45	·	some said it was used by witches to make
3:46	·	flying ointment most important to
3:49	·	understand perhaps is the perspective of
3:51	·	the european peasantry accustomed to
3:54	·	grains and bread potatoes were an
3:56	·	unfamiliar misshapen and dirty vegetable
3:58	·	people didn't know what to do with them
4:00	·	but after budding into a raw one they
4:03	·	were pretty sure it wasn't food in the
4:05	·	first years after its introduction
4:07	·	potatoes were in a few places like
4:08	·	England and Spain considered a delicacy
4:10	·	and an aphrodisiac
4:12	·	Shakespeare mentions potatoes in this
4:14	·	context in several plays and English dr.
4:17	·	William Salman said potatoes nourished
4:19	·	the whole body restore its consumptions
4:21	·	and provoke lust the director of the
4:25	·	Royal Botanical Garden said potatoes
4:26	·	were purchased
4:27	·	when scarce at no inconsiderable cost
4:29	·	for those that believed in their powers
4:31	·	eventually their stock receipt of Europe
4:33	·	began to realize that potatoes had some
4:35	·	hidden benefits one of the early
4:38	·	supporters of the potato was Frederick
4:39	·	the Great of Prussia when Frederick
4:42	·	Tests ended the Prussian throne in 1740
4:44	·	Frederick sought to consolidate his
4:45	·	kingdoms holdings and strengthen his
4:47	·	position on the continent shortly after
4:50	·	taking the throne and became involved in
4:51	·	the war of austrian secession which
4:53	·	lasted until 1748 endemic warfare in
4:57	·	europe put frequent strain on food
4:59	·	supplies large armies needed to
5:01	·	requisition more and more food causing
5:03	·	widespread devastation and starvation
5:05	·	famines caused by the 30 Years War from
5:08	·	1618 to 1648 were some of the worst in
5:11	·	European history with population
5:13	·	declines as high as 50% in some regions
5:15	·	the introduction of the potato began to
5:18	·	change that the first people to figure
5:20	·	out the virtues of the potato were
5:21	·	peasants who found that armies would
5:23	·	ignore them completely when they came to
5:25	·	requisition food peasants luckily first
5:28	·	ate the potato out of desperation but
5:30	·	the food proved to have much greater
5:31	·	caloric density than wheat and better
5:33	·	nutrition
5:34	·	Frederick noted that despite military
5:37	·	requisitioning the peasants were staying
5:38	·	fed and even if the army did target
5:40	·	potatoes they were harder to destroy or
5:43	·	take than stores of wheat in 1744 he
5:46	·	added potatoes to his army stores and
5:48	·	ordered seed potatoes tubers that would
5:50	·	grow implanted to be distributed across
5:52	·	Prussia Frederick's patronage didn't
5:55	·	convince his people at first when the
5:57	·	town of Kohlberg received their first
5:59	·	cart load they were disgusted and told
6:00	·	the king these things have no taste
6:02	·	not even dogs will eat them what use are
6:04	·	they to us Frederick threatened that any
6:07	·	peasants that refused would have their
6:09	·	noses cut off but the next year sent a
6:11	·	guard who had seen the benefits of
6:13	·	potatoes to encourage their planting in
6:14	·	Kolberg in 1756 he would even further
6:18	·	with the potato edict which ordered
6:20	·	everyone in Prussia to plant potatoes
6:22	·	wherever they could find room for them
6:24	·	this caused an important shift in
6:26	·	agriculture as planted to the potato
6:28	·	fields would be left fallow to restore
6:30	·	the soil now they were filled with
6:32	·	potatoes potatoes began to massively
6:35	·	change European food production and
6:36	·	supply cheap Hardy and less likely to
6:39	·	spoil potatoes offered a cushion
6:40	·	famine and effectively doubled or more
6:43	·	the European food supply frederik
6:46	·	actively advertised potatoes in this
6:47	·	effort paid off handsomely when the
6:49	·	Seven Years War began in 1756 Prussia
6:52	·	was faced with wave after wave of
6:54	·	invasion but the Kingdom proved
6:55	·	remarkably resilient Prussian fortunes
6:58	·	were a near thing it was a godsend when
7:00	·	the Russian Queen died and Russia
7:01	·	switched sides to ally with Prussia
7:03	·	potatoes kept the situation at home
7:05	·	manageable long enough for the kingdom's
7:07	·	fortunes to shift Frederick supported
7:10	·	potatoes so enthusiastically that he was
7:12	·	called the potato King and people still
7:15	·	leave potatoes at his grave
7:18	·	Russia's potatoes caught the attention
7:20	·	of other European powers in Austria
7:22	·	Russia and France all pushed for the
7:24	·	peasants to grow potatoes after the war
7:25	·	the war also produced one of the most
7:27	·	important promoters of the potato
7:29	·	antoine augustin Parmentier permit CA
7:32	·	was a pharmacist in the French army and
7:34	·	was captured several times was in prison
7:36	·	for years by the Prussians where he was
7:38	·	had nothing but potatoes when he
7:40	·	returned to France after the war he was
7:42	·	amazed that his health had not suffered
7:44	·	it convinced him the potatoes would make
7:46	·	a good food source the French had
7:48	·	actually banned the planting of potatoes
7:50	·	in 1748 I have the suspicion that it
7:52	·	caused illness Parmentier began doing
7:54	·	pioneering work in nutritional chemistry
7:57	·	trying to understand what in food was
7:58	·	nourishing to humans in 1772 he won a
8:02	·	contest so you can find the best food
8:04	·	capable of reducing the calamities of
8:06	·	famine the potato Parmentier also
8:10	·	convinced the Paris Faculty of Medicine
8:11	·	to declare the potato edible he also
8:14	·	published a paper explaining how to make
8:15	·	potato bread that was similar to wheat
8:17	·	bread he hosted a feast made up of only
8:20	·	potato dishes which Benjamin Franklin
8:23	·	attended in 1767 in 1785 he finally
8:26	·	received royal backing for his efforts
8:28	·	possibly after presenting king louis xvi
8:30	·	and his wife marie antoinette with a
8:32	·	bouquet of potato flowers marie wore one
8:35	·	in her hair while louis started a
8:37	·	fashion of wearing them in the
8:38	·	buttonhole potatoes started to become
8:40	·	popular at the court though that wasn't
8:42	·	necessarily good in the lead-up to the
8:44	·	French Revolution it helped to the
8:46	·	potato saved a bad grain harvest in 1785
8:49	·	from becoming a disastrous famine his
8:52	·	most audacious attempt to popularize the
8:53	·	potato came after
8:54	·	1787 when the King allowed Parmentier to
8:57	·	plant 40 acres of potatoes near Paris at
9:00	·	harvest Parmentier posted guards to
9:02	·	chase away onlookers during the day but
9:04	·	withdrew them at night
9:06	·	the peasants assuming that only
9:07	·	something valuable would be guarded
9:09	·	stole from the fields this story or a
9:12	·	very similar version of it has been told
9:14	·	across Europe and attributed the various
9:15	·	kings or leaders especially to Frederick
9:17	·	the Great of Prussia though no
9:19	·	contemporary records seem to prove that
9:20	·	Frederick did it before Parmentier the
9:23	·	potatoes popularity exploded and the
9:25	·	king called parmentier that France will
9:27	·	thank you someday for having found bread
9:28	·	for the poor though Louis was destined
9:31	·	to lose his head only a few years later
9:33	·	parmentier became a hero potatoes were
9:35	·	declared to be the food of the
9:37	·	revolution and royal ornamental gardens
9:39	·	were torn up to be replanted with
9:41	·	potatoes permit J's influence spread not
9:45	·	only to France but across the continent
9:46	·	and apparently across the pond Thomas
9:49	·	Jefferson had parties worked in his
9:51	·	library and became a supporter of the
9:52	·	potato in America so he took meals in
9:54	·	the White House during his presidency
9:56	·	Jefferson a famous Francophile is also
9:59	·	credited with being the first to serve
10:00	·	fried potatoes that he had seen in
10:02	·	France the now ubiquitous french fries
10:06	·	it's hard to overestimate the importance
10:08	·	of the potato to history Europe was
10:10	·	plagued with famines with at least 50
10:12	·	major nationwide famines hitting France
10:14	·	between 1500 and 1800 most nations in
10:17	·	Europe managed to grow just enough food
10:19	·	to satisfy their needs so looting armies
10:21	·	bad harvests and crop failures left
10:23	·	countries without anything to eat
10:24	·	potatoes solve all kinds of problems for
10:27	·	Europe for a time it essentially ended
10:29	·	famines in Europe massively increased
10:31	·	food supply and provide a much better
10:32	·	nutrition which improved health and
10:34	·	birth rates potatoes provided an easy to
10:36	·	prepare nutrient-dense food supply for
10:38	·	the Industrial Revolution as factory
10:41	·	workers toiled away for up to 16 hours a
10:42	·	day the potato played an important role
10:45	·	in driving population growth with modern
10:47	·	study showing strong correlations with
10:49	·	increased population and better health
10:51	·	the European population grew from 140
10:53	·	million in 1750 to 400 million 150 years
10:57	·	later a 2009 study found that the
11:00	·	increase in nutritional carrying
11:02	·	capacity didn't just provide food for
11:03	·	factory workers but actually helped to
11:05	·	drive economic growth and urbanization
11:08	·	well it's impossible to know just how
11:10	·	much of the changes directly do to
11:12	·	potatoes is certain that it was an
11:14	·	integral part of the Industrial
11:15	·	Revolution and modernization another
11:18	·	product from the Americas served to help
11:20	·	agricultural production even more guano
11:23	·	in 1840 Justus von Liebig published his
11:26	·	pioneering work describing the
11:27	·	importance of nitrogen in plant growth
11:28	·	in the production of chlorophyll in that
11:31	·	he also extolled guano as a major source
11:33	·	of nitrogen which revealed guano as the
11:35	·	world's first high intensity fertilizer
11:37	·	the guano boom was historic in itself
11:40	·	and it again doubled or even tripled
11:41	·	agricultural yields the 1/2 of guano and
11:45	·	potatoes created the basis for modern
11:47	·	industrial agriculture but all this game
11:51	·	came with a risk that no one predicted
11:53	·	because potatoes were grown using tubers
11:55	·	they were essentially clones of each
11:58	·	other creating a dangerous monoculture
12:00	·	across the continent nowhere was this
12:02	·	risk more exemplified than in Ireland
12:05	·	unlike France England or Germany in
12:07	·	Ireland potatoes took off quickly it's
12:09	·	not clear who first brought the potato
12:11	·	to Ireland but certainly they arrive
12:12	·	before 1600 Ireland was well suited for
12:15	·	the potato and also had a very rural
12:17	·	population that was always struggling
12:18	·	with the food supply much of the best
12:21	·	land was used for raising cattle and
12:23	·	cash crops for British markets
12:24	·	leaving marginal land to the peasants
12:26	·	government policy had allowed
12:28	·	subdivision of lands have set no crop
12:29	·	other than potatoes would suffice to
12:31	·	feed a family while war and shortage
12:34	·	drove the adoption of potatoes elsewhere
12:36	·	in Ireland they already had no other
12:38	·	options by 1800 nearly 40% of the Irish
12:42	·	ate no solid food other than potatoes
12:44	·	with the number being 10 to 30% in
12:46	·	countries like Belgium the Netherlands
12:48	·	and Prussia policies had forced Ireland
12:51	·	into monoculture making the population
12:53	·	particularly vulnerable to a crop blight
12:56	·	then came fight Opeth hora infestans
12:59	·	translating roughly to vexing plant
13:01	·	destroyer it is a water mole that causes
13:03	·	potato blight the European potato crop
13:05	·	was particularly vulnerable because of
13:07	·	its lack of genetic diversity pea
13:09	·	infestans seems to have originated in
13:12	·	central Mexico and specifically affects
13:14	·	nightshade plants like the tomato and
13:15	·	potato it was probably brought to Europe
13:18	·	as part of the huge volume of trade from
13:20	·	South America that was brought on by the
13:21	·	guano
13:22	·	it seems to have first broken out in
13:24	·	Flanders in 1845 but the mold spread
13:26	·	quickly to Denmark Germany and England
13:28	·	was first reported in Ireland September
13:31	·	13th 1845 the blight destroyed 25 to 35
13:35	·	percent of the crop that year and the
13:37	·	damage only got worse until it wound
13:38	·	down in 1852 the effects of the blight
13:42	·	compounded by land policy that allowed
13:44	·	for example food to be exported from
13:46	·	Ireland even during the worst years of
13:47	·	the famine and evictions that left
13:49	·	people with no means to feed their
13:50	·	family killed at least a million Irish
13:52	·	people and cost two million more to flee
13:54	·	the country
13:55	·	damage to crops elsewhere notably in
13:57	·	Scotland were deep enough to give the
13:59	·	1840s the moniker the hungry forties
14:01	·	though nowhere is badly hit as Ireland
14:05	·	historically potatoes have been an
14:06	·	integral part of the development of the
14:08	·	modern world studies have repeatedly
14:10	·	shown a correlation between the
14:11	·	introduction of the potato and improved
14:13	·	health and increased population for the
14:16	·	first time a defendant solution had been
14:18	·	found to the world's food problem wrote
14:20	·	his story in Christian Bandhan broke in
14:22	·	the 1970s potatoes along with guano
14:25	·	marked the beginning of industrial
14:27	·	agriculture and the continued
14:28	·	improvement of the world's food
14:30	·	production today the potato is the
14:33	·	number one non grain food crop produced
14:35	·	in the world there's an important part
14:37	·	of countless diets around the world from
14:38	·	snacks to hearty dinners but blight and
14:41	·	other threats remain issues for modern
14:43	·	growers forcing producers continually
14:44	·	find new pesticides to deal with quickly
14:46	·	adapting threats like the Colorado
14:48	·	potato beetle potatoes went from a local
14:52	·	staple of the Peruvian mountains to an
14:54	·	ugly inedible root to one of the most
14:57	·	important foodstuffs in history that's
15:00	·	quite a journey for a simple tuber I
15:03	·	hope you enjoyed this episode of the
15:05	·	history guy short snippets a forgotten
15:07	·	history between 10 and 15 minutes long
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15:31	·	[Music]