Potatoes, chocolate, coffee, ketchup, and even simple bread all hide fascinating stories. Behind these everyday foods lie voyages across continents, Indigenous traditions, accidental discoveries, and sometimes even old prejudices.
Letâs open the pantry and step back in time to discover the surprising origins of ten foods we eat almost every week.
1. The potato: once considered dangerous
Long before accompanying our burgers and grilled meats, the potato was cultivated in the Andes, mainly in regions corresponding to present-day Peru and Bolivia.
Andean peoples also knew how to dehydrate it to preserve it for long periods. This traditional preparation, called chuño, was an important food reserve.
When the potato arrived in Europe in the 16th century, it was met with suspicion. Since it grows underground and belongs to the botanical family Solanaceae, some Europeans believed it to be toxic or responsible for illnesses.
It nevertheless became an essential food thanks to three major advantages:
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it was nutritious;
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it could be grown on small plots of land;