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The potato was originally discovered on the Andean plateaus, and soon set out to conquer the world. The Mochia, Chimu, and Inca cultures were said to have developed frost-resistant varieties from wild tubers, which they called papa. They cultivated these as a key part of their diet, drying them in the sun, then keeping them for years on end. During the time of the Incan Empire, the emperor would have them stored in huge quantities for distribution when the land was in famine.

The early Peruvian farmers developed a taclla, or foot plow, as a tool to turn over the tough sod in order to prepare the soil for planting. This plow was originally a 5 or 6 foot long wooden stick with handles, its tip hardened by fire or an attached piece of copper. These tacllas used human weight to turn up the ground, and aided greatly in the Peruvian's success in farming potatoes. Believe it or not, similar plows are still being used today in South America! The Incas can also be credited with one of the earliest developments of crop rotation, which was designed to keep their potato fields fertile. They also developed a beer-like drink, which they called chicha, from their crops.

The Potato in Britain

In the British Isles the potato was introduced by Sir Francis Drake, who brought them from Peru in 1586. Soon becoming a staple in Britain's menu, it continued to move into Europe and was broadly cultivated in Ireland. In fact, the Irish became so dependent on the potato that when their crops were wiped out by blight in the 1840s, they were thrown into disastrous famine. Known today as the Irish Potato Famine, it lasted from 1845 until 1849.

The Potato in France

Meanwhile in France, a man by the name of Monsieur Parmentier (1737-1813) was studying the potato with the intention of discovering new ways to use it for culinary purposes. Thanks to the potato, he had survived in Prussia during the Seven Years War as a prisoner of war. He often clashed with peasants, who thought the potato was only good enough to use as animal feed. In some areas of France, it was even rumored to cause leprosy! Louis XIV was asking scientists to develop new foods to feed the poor with, because the price of bread was so high. This was Parmentier's chance to introduce his new recipes, and he soon received royal approval. It was Louis XV who then gave it its new name, changing it from batata into pomme de terre, which translates to English as earth apple.

The New World

Brought to the New World during the establishment of the British colonies in America, the potato was first sent from Britain with colonists who landed in Bermuda early in the 17th century. The governor of Bermuda then sent a shipment of potatoes to Virginia, where it became widely consumed. With a huge migration of Scots-Irish settlers to New Hampshire, the popularity of the potato grew immensely in the colonies. Before long, the tide of potatoes had reached Connecticut, and fifteen years later were introduced in Rhode Island. Here, they became so popular that they began exporting potatoes for profit.

Thomas Jefferson has been credited for introducing Pomme-frites, or French Fries, to the Americans. As President, he had potatoes served in many different dishes at White House dinners, and it was with his support that the potato gained such widespread popularity in North America.

The Potato Arrives in Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island was first introduced to potatoes in 1758 when the British took over from the French. An ideal growing place for potatoes the potato harvest was 'a phenomenal success'. Soon, potatoes were being exported to other colonies, and in 1802, Lord Selkirk brought settlers from the Scottish highlands to the Orwell Bay area of the Island. Provided with potatoes to cultivate, the Scots survived almost exclusively on a diet of potatoes and cod for a few years, and by 1806 John Stewart was quoted as saying: 'potatoes are raised in great abundance, and in no country better'.

Faced with land covered almost entirely by a dense forest, the settlers who arrived on Prince Edward Island had to clear land tree by tree to make room for their farms. Often it would take several years to get their fields completely clear of tree stumps. Making as much of their land as they could, they were forced to plant their crops among the stumps while they were still at work clearing out the fields. Because the potatoes took little care or attention, the land owners were free to focus on the development of their farms. In 1822 a man named Walter Johnstone described the potato planting among tree stumps and the piles of soil over the potatoes as resembling 'mole hills'.

In 1805, statistics showed that out of 10,000 acres of farm land on PEI, 15% was devoted to potatoes. This percentage increased over time, and by 1820 over 40,000 bushels of potatoes were being sent as far away as the West Indies. By the '40s this number had increased to 124,000. Exports kept increasing until 1845, when the Island was hit by the same blight that caused famine in Ireland. The modern potato industry in PEI eventually became world famous, beginning in the 1920s after two new varieties of potatoes were introduced: the Irish Cobbler variety and the Green Mountain variety.

In the 1920s, potato acreage in PEI almost doubled, with yields tripling. The beginning of a period of cooperation between federal and provincial governments resulted in the development of the seed potato industry and the control of potato diseases. Realizing that with the small size of the Island, scientists could familiarize themselves with all of its potato farms. This, along with the Island's cold winters, made disease and pest control and prevention much easier. These advantages of the Island's size and isolation have resulted in exceptionally high quality potatoes. Today, no seed potatoes are able to leave the Island without the certification of government inspectors.

The 1950s brought around the introduction of large-scale mechanization to potato farming on Prince Edward Island. The result: more potato acreage, less individual potato growers. Today, PEI's largest number of the acres used for the cultivating potatoes are found in our area, Prince County (the western part of the Island).

Today, Prince Edward Island ranks first in the production of potatoes in Canada. It grows just over 30% of Canadian production, and is the second largest exporter of seed potatoes in the world. Exported all around the world to places like Argentina, Greece, Italy, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Spain, the Island potato industry is now world famous!

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