Why Did Potatoes Grow In Europe

The introduction of the potato to the Old World increased the population in Europe. This is due to the fact that potatoes have a great source of calories, vitamins and fatty acids. As the quality and quantity of food went up so did the population. Potatoes were met with resistance in many places in Europe. The rulers of most country recognized the potato's beneficial nutrients and slowly the potato was integrated into Europeans diet. Some historians argue that potatoes were adopted by Europe because of the growing population rather than the idea potatoes helped the populations increase. Potatoes are the reason populations in Europe increased because of the surplus of nutrients the new crop provided.

When Columbus first brought over potatoes

from the New World Europeans were skeptical about the new crop. It took time for the prejudice against the potato to go away. "Potatoes did not become a staple until, during the food shortages associated with the Revolutionary Wars, the English government began to officially encourage potato cultivation." There was lots of propaganda promoting planting potatoes until the lower class of England began to cultivate potatoes and include them into their diet. In 1771 the average peasant in France, Netherlands and Belgium was still suspicious of the potato. It wasn't until after Louis XVI wore a potato flower in his button hole and Marie-Antoinette wore potato flowers in her hair that potatoes were accepted amongst all classes. In Prussia, Frederick the Great recognized the nutritional value the potato had. After failing to convince his people that the potato was beneficial he planted a large amount of potatoes and set up a large guard to keep watch. Naturally, the peasants took from the planted crop and began eating potatoes. In Russia , Catherine the Great had to order her people to plant potatoes. This order was ignored until 1850 when Czar Nicholas started implementing Catherine's order that the potato was adopted by Russia. The potato has many nutrients making it a good staple crop "Because it provides an abundant supply of calories and nutrients, the potato is able to sustain life better than any other food when consumed as the sole article of diet". Potatoes contain every vitamin and nutrient needed to sustain life besides vitamin A and D. The potato became such a major part of Europeans diet that the top ten countries for consuming potatoes are all Old Word countries. The introduction of potatoes to the Old World would end many famines because Europe could finally reliably produce enough enough nutrients to sustain life. "One large potato (300 grams; baked) contains 17% of daily recommended protein, 0.01% of daily fat, 25% of daily carbohydrates, and14% of daily calories." Nutrients provided by the potato are far more superior than any crop from the Old World.

"The second benefit of potatoes is that relative to Old World staples, they require less land to produce the same amount of calories."