Potato: history and nutritional value

The potato

Category • The potato is a plant that belongs to the family of Strychnoids and it is well known mainly for its tubers which are one of the most important food products in the world, as they are rich in starch and are a food with great nutritional value.

Origin • The potato is a plant native of the highlands of Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia, and is thought to have first been cultivated in Peru 7,000 years ago.

History • The potato was transported from South America to Spain in the 16th century A.D., by Spanish and Portuguese explorers, who lived on the American continent and quickly spread in whole Europe.

Ioannis Kapodistrias brought it to Greece for the first time and at the beginning it was cultivated on a limited scale, experimentally, in the area of ​Tiryns.

Today it is widespread in the country and is part of the basic diet of its population. Potato production was very important, especially during the difficult years of the World Wars, as it kept many people alive.

The potato in other uses • In addition to the various uses and the different ways in which we use she for our diet, the potato is particularly important in the food industry such as in the production of chips, of various sauces and dried starch for making puree. It is also widely used in the cosmetics industry, in the production of alcoholic beverages such as vodka in various countries, as animal feed in livestock and even as a raw material for the production of biofuels.

POTATO

Ioannis Kapodistrias brought potato to Greece. At first it was cultivated on a limited scale, experimentally, in the area of Tiryns.

Potato production was very important, especially during the difficult years of the World Wars, as it fed and kept many people alive. It thrives best in a cool, humid climate. Germany, Russia and Poland are the largest potato producing countries in Europe.

The plant of potato

Although the way we cook the potato plays an important role, ie the boiled potato is much healthier compared to the fried one, it should not be missing from our diet, nor should the content of starch and carbohydrates prevent us from its consumption.

Ten reasons to eat more potatoes 1. Potatoes contain a small amount of protein: about 3 grams per medium serving of 180 grams of boiled potatoes. Although this amount is less than 10% of the daily requirement for an adult, potatoes are a good source of the amino acids lysine and tryptophan and, when combined with milk or eggs, provide a high quality protein food.

2. Potatoes are a source of fiber, which contributes to the feeling of satiety and enhances the healthy functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. A serving of 180 grams of boiled potatoes provides about 3 g. fiber, an amount corresponding to more than 10% of the recommended daily intake, which is 25 g. fiber per day.

3. Potatoes are a reliable source of vitamin C - a medium boiled potato (180 g) contains about 10 mg of vitamin C, which corresponds to 1/8 of the daily requirement for an adult.

4. There are several different B vitamins and potatoes are an important source of many of them. A medium serving of boiled potatoes (180 g) contains more than 1/6 of an adult's daily requirement of vitamin B1, B6 and folic acid.

5. Potatoes are an important source of potassium. Potassium performs many functions, including muscle function and contraction, transmitting nerve impulses and regulating blood pressure.

6. Potatoes by nature do not contain sodium (which with chlorine forms salt).

Public health recommendations emphasize the care that should be taken so that salt consumption is not high, due to the correlation between sodium intake and the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension).

7. For those trying to lose weight, or avoid weight gain, potatoes can play a helpful role. A medium serving of boiled, peeled potatoes (180 g) contains about 140 calories, much lower in energy than the same amount of boiled pasta (286 calories) or boiled rice (248 calories). However, the following should be noted: the energy content of the potato when fried (deep frying) may be two to three times higher than that of boiled or baked potatoes, making the potato in this form less suitable for people on a weight loss diet.

8. More "good news" for those trying to avoid weight gain is that potatoes have a high satiety index. A study on the satiety effects of different foods showed that potatoes have three times higher satiety compared to the same caloric intake of white bread.

9. Due to the variety of ways in which potatoes can be cooked, the nutrient content of potato meals is highly variable. Nutrient losses during cooking depend on the temperature and cooking time. Water-soluble vitamins and minerals, such as B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and potassium, leak from potatoes into boiling water. When potatoes are boiled with the skin (although

after cooking they can be peeled and eaten without the skin) the loss of nutrients is significantly reduced.

10. A very small number of people can not tolerate gluten, which is a protein found in wheat and rye. For people who need to follow a gluten-free diet, and therefore cannot consume common foods, including bread, pasta and most breakfast cereals, potatoes are a particularly important food.

Potato: The absolute choice of nutritious food The potato is a well-known root vegetable which grows mostly at Latin America and can be eaten boiled, fried, roasted, mashed or in combination with other ingredients. It is also a basic food of the Mediterranean diet and very popular around the world. Statistics has shown that the most people prefer the potato fried, because that is the tradition of American fast food and unfortunately a lot of people are getting used to bad eating habits. The fact is that when we fry the potato, a huge amount of fried oil is absorbed by the potatoes so we consume an unhealthy food. In order to avoid that, we need to boil the potato without peeling its skin so the nutrients remain in the potato and if we want, we can mash the potatoes with butter and enjoy a delicious puree. Anyway, sometimes we might wonder what is its origin, where it has come from, how nutritious is it, what it contains. We will find the answers to these questions together and we will discover the world of the potato.

History

POTATO

FIELD IN FORT

FAIRFIELD, MAINE

It is a plant native to the highlands of Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia, areas inhabited by Indians, Incas, Aztecs. It was transported from South America to Spain

by Spanish explorers and quickly spread throughout Europe. It is widespread in Greece and is part of the basic diet of the population. It was brought to Greece by Ioannis Kapodistrias.

LARGE

IOANNIS KAPODISTRIA S VARIETY OF POTATOES

Nutrition The potato is considered as a source of amyl, vitamin C and protein. It can be a product of high biological value if it is accompanied with eggs. In general, starchy food can be eaten easily so it is highly recommended by experts to be given at elderly person, young kids and patients. It is proved by scientists that potato has low fat, but because of amyl, the diets that aim at zero carbohydrate intake are not consist of potatoes.

Thanasis Kaltsas A2Îą

Potatoes are included in the category of vegetables and the are manly composed of carbs from 66-90%.

Simple sugars such as sucroze, gloucoze and fruictoze are also present in small amounts.

Potatoes are a good saurce pf some vitamins and mierals and especially potassium which benefits heart health , folate, vitamin C and vitamin B6 which is involved in red blood cell construction

Prapas Stamatis

Food pyramid

The position of the potato in the food pyramid Potatoes are a very important food for everyone. Potatoes are important because of there starch and the vitamin C they include . Potatoes are good to eat about 3 times per week .The best way to eat a potato is from boiling it with the peel and taking it off when you finish boiling to don’t loose vitamin C .Also potatoes are at the third team on the food pyramid .

The potato The scientific name is Solanum tuberosum . It is a native plant to the South American continent, more specifically the highlands of Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia, territories of the ancient Incas and Aztec American- Indians. It has been transferred from South America to Spain in the 16th century by the Spanish explorers and thereafter to the whole Europe.

Philip Rompotis A2 class

The potato in Greece and the Europe

Philip Rompotis A2 class

• It is by far well- known throughout Greece and is a main part of the daily population diet.

• Ioannis Kapodistrias the first governor of free Greece enforced the potato cultivation in the country • It is estimated that each Greek consumes around 72 kilos of potatoes annually, compared with other Europeans like Dutch and Belgians that consume 200 potato kilos per citizen annually.

The potato production in Greece around a year Philip Rompotis A2 class

In summer 43% ( Lasithi – Crete, Αrcadia , Ilia, Drama) In spring 37% (Ilia, Euboea, Corfu ,Heraklio-Crete) In autumn 20% (Ilia, Boeotia, Αchaia, Εuboea)

• The potato contains plenty of carbohydrates, minerals,vitamin C, but lacks proteins. • Additionally, contains water, starch, total sugars, vitamins B1, B2 and niacin.

Philip Rompotis A2 class

Potato ingredients

The potato as a food The potato is probably one of the most popular foods in the world as well as one of the most beloved .

• The Greeks have created the famous plate called ΄΄fried potatoes΄΄.

Philip Rompotis A2 class

The potato and its nutrients

P

otatoes are first found in 1492 with America and today, they are a vegetable that can be cooked with thousands of ways.

Nutrients quantity in Here are its nutrients!

100 g Calories 76 kcal Sodium 6 mg Potassium 421 mg Carbohydrates 17 g Protein 2g Calcium 12 mg Iron 0,8 mg

Some of these are not that healthy, so that food it’s not always good for you. Don’t worry though! They are also many ways to cook a potato so it’s still good

for you You’ll see below a potato recipe that you won’t believe how healthy and delicious it is Sweet potato chips Level of difficulty: Easy Time: 30 minutes

Instructions 1.

2.

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5.

Ingredients 1. 1 kg sweet potatoes 2. Olive oil 3. Salt

Cut the sweet potatoes in thin slices.

Put the slices in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil on them. Then, mix Lay the slices on baking sheets Sprinkle some salt on the potato slices.

Bake them to 148 °C for 20 minutes

The final result

Iris Kontogianni, A’1 Greece

The potato is a vegetable which we all enjoy to eat. We mostly like it to be fried but it’s delicious anyway. But do you know some basic information about the potato?

Where the potato comes from and how it came to Europe and Greece?

The potato existed in South America a long time ago and it was first introduced in Europe in 16th century. At the end of the 18th century the potato had been already entered the diet list of most European people. Finally, it came to Greece at the end of the Greek Revolution by Ioannis Kapodistrias. At first people in Greece were wary about the potato so Kapodistrias organized a very nice plan. He put guards around the potatoes to make people believe they were precious. At night a lot of people tried to steal the potatoes and of course guards let them do it as the plan defined. Therefore, the potato entered the Greek cuisine and today is well known in all over the world.

Is the potato a healthy or an unhealthy food?

Whether the potato is a healthy or an unhealthy food depend on the way it is cooked. Almost everyone likes eating the potatoes fried or watching a movie while eating potato chips. However, potato chips and fries are unhealthy because all the nutrients are destroyed.

Also so much oil isn’t good for us. Instead of frying the potatoes we should prefer to bake or to boil them because the useful ingredients aren’t altered. So this way of potato’s cooking is the healthiest one.

Do you know any easy recipes which have as a main ingredient the potato?

A very easy recipe which has as a main ingredient the potato is “Chicken with potatoes and mustard”. You pill and cut the potatoes, you put them in a baking pan with the chicken, you put oil, salt, pepper, oregano and mustard. Finally, you roast in 180°C for 2 hours. Good appetite!

Boulamatsis Konstantinos

13/11/2020

ORIGIN OF POTATO Potato comes from the highlands of Andes in central and south America (Equador, Colombia, Peru, etc).

DARIOTI VIVIAN

HOW POTATO WAS NAMED? Potato was named after the Spanish word ΄΄patata΄΄, originated from the word ΄΄batata΄΄, that was used by the native American Indians to describe the sweet potatoes of the plant ΄΄Ipomea batata΄΄.

DARIOTI VIVIAN

A NEW FOOD FOR GREEK PEOPLE

BY THE END OF REVOLUTION Potato became known to Greece after the arrival of the first Greek Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias. The Governor had already tasted potato during his tours in Europe and he strongly believed that potato would be a very nutritious food for his people.

DARIOTI VIVIAN

THE NUTRITIOUS INGREDIENTS OF POTATO Potato consists of water (78% to 80%), starch (18% to 20%), proteins (1,5% to 2%) and vitamins (1%). It also contains nutrients, vitamins C, D, B6, B3 and B9, magnessium, manganium, ferrum and follic acid.

DARIOTI VIVIAN

POTATO AND MEDITERRANEAN DIET Potato is one of the corner stones of the Mediterranean diet, since it’s full of fiber, energy, vitamins, minerals and therefore should be consumed daily. Scientists found out that potato prevents cancer and heart diseases.

DARIOTI VIVIAN

POTATO

The nutritional value of the potato and its place in the Mediterranean diet Potato is a food of great nutritional value, it is rich in starch, vitamins such as C, B1, B6, proteins, minerals, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc, while giving the body fiber and folic acid.

Potato is also a key ingredient in the Mediterranean diet and should be consumed in at least 3 servings per week.

Potato Discovery • The Potato and specifically the tubers of the plant have been one of the most important human foods for

centuries. Originally from South America, it was introduced to Europe at the time of the Discoveries, around the 16th century, while in Greece it became known immediately after the Revolution, thanks to Ioannis Kapodistrias.

• Native Americans, living in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, knew about potatoes for about 4,000 years before this delicious bulb drove Europeans crazy.

• In Greece, we had to wait for the end of the Revolution and the arrival of the first Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias to make the potato known. Kapodistrias had tried it during his travels in Europe and considered it to be a basic and nutritious food for the Greek people of the post-revolutionary years.

• When he settled in Nafplio, he tried to give potatoes to the villagers, but because they were suspicious and

conservative, threw them in the trash. Kapodistrias, however, knew very well the psychology and moods of his compatriots, so he fenced the place where the potatoes were stored and intended to keep them. day and night. Within a week there was not a single one left ….