Five Potato Facts

Poisonous Potatoes

• Every part of the potato plant except the tuber is poisonous. Potatoes are a member of the nightshade family and produce a toxin called solanine in their green parts and sprouts. The poisonous nature of some of the parts of the potato plant led to some erroneous beliefs. Though incorrect, the French once believed potatoes to cause leprosy, according to "Fun Food Facts." A French pharmacist convinced King Louis XVI that they were safe, and once the king served the tubers in his court, they quickly rose in popularity among the French people.

A Chip Off the Old Spud

• Potato chips are big business, but their invention is attributed to an irate chef. In 1853, chef George Crum at a Saratoga, New York, resort responded to a customer's complaint about the fried potatoes cut too thick by slicing the spuds paper thin and deep frying them. The chips were sent back to the customer who raved about the "Saratoga Crunch Chips," which quickly rose in popularity as potato chips. The average American consumes 16 lbs. of potato chips annually, according to the Colorado State University Extension. The largest potato chip is located in Blackfoot, Idaho, at the Potato Museum. It measures 14 inches by 25 inches, making it more than 2 square feet in area of salty, crunchy potato chip.

A Dietary Dud?

• Some dietary plans forbid potatoes because they are a source of carbohydrates, but spuds have more to offer than starches. A medium potato weighing 173 g, or 6.1 oz., contains 4 g of fiber, 4 g of protein, 30 percent of the daily recommended allowance for vitamin C and only 160 fat-free, calories, according to Colorado State University Extension. Other nutrients in potatoes include iron, vitamin B-6, potassium and niacin.

Miracle Medicine

• Potatoes have been used throughout history in folk remedies for medical maladies. The Incas ate them to prevent indigestion, carried them to avoid rheumatism and draped broken bones with sliced potatoes to hasten healing. Potatoes or their cooking water have been used as folk remedies for blemished, frostbitten or burned skin or to ease aches and pains. Some believed that just having a potato around one's person could ease pain. One remedy called for a potato to be hung around the neck inside a stocking to soothe a sore throat, or carrying a potato in the pocket to help a toothache.

Popular Potatoes

• The potato is a major food crop for many people around the world. It is the fourth most widely grown food after rice, wheat and corn. Of all the tubers grown, potatoes are the most popular. This is evidenced by the numbers of potatoes eaten each year by Americans. The average American works 126 lbs. of potatoes into his yearly diet. A long history of cultivation is behind the potato. This tuber originated as a main crop in Central and South America and was a staple of the Incas in the Andes mountains since 2000 B.C. The Spanish brought the spud back to Europe where some countries viewed the nightshade relative with unease, but after other European nations experimented with the tuber, it grew in popularity across the continent and spread around the world through colonization by Europeans.