• WORLD TOUR OF A POTATO/Le tour du monde d'une patate (PART 3 : EASTERN COUNTRIES)

The Illustrious History and Origin of the Potato, travelling around the world*       Written by Marie LE GOAZIOU Illustrated by Jean François RIBAY Editions Mangeclous-Dec 2010

STOPOVERS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST 

The potato did not just cross the Atlantic, she continued her journey in the holds of European vessels to arrive along the coast of China in the 17th century when Russian merchants then introduced it in Central China. Today China is the leading world potato producer. In Japan, the potato was  imported at the beginning of the 17th century by the Dutch merchants who had set up an enclave in Nagasaki but it is only at the end of the 19th century, that her cultivation really spread all over the country, showing well that she is suited to the cool summers of the island of Hokkaido in the north.
In the Philippines and in Indonesia, the production of potatoes helps to satisfy the fast growing snacks industry.

In all the Indian sub-continent, it is however, in the baggage of Portuguese sailors, that potatoes arrived, at the end of the 16th century. In the plains of Bangladesh and East India, the potato has become a precious commercial crop. If, originally, the plants created by the Europeans and introduced by the British, were not adapted to the hot climate of the plains of Bengal, today the potato is very successfully grown in winter between October and March.
 
It is also a British Ambassador, Sir Malcolm, who introduced the potatoes to Iran at the beginning of the 20th century where it is still actually nicknamed the « Malcolm’s prune ». She is cultivated principally on the banks of the Caspian Sea or in the mountainous regions in the north. And when one travels to the eastern Mediterranean, whether it be in Turkey, Lebanon or Israel, the potato has nothing to envy as to all the other sunny vegetables and is a must in all gastronomy ingredients, from moussaka to mezze, she can just be found everywhere.

 Click on the country to see the recipe :

* IMPRINT : Based on the book "WORLD TOUR OF A POTATO"-Written by M. LE GOAZIOU-Illustrated by JF RIBAY-©Editions Mangeclous-December 2010.

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