Routine famine almost disappeared in potato country, a 2,000-mile band that stretched from Ireland in the west to Russia’s Ural Mountains in the east. giddy penguin. The potato is not native to Ireland, or indeed any part of Europe. Before 1842, potato blight was only known in Mexico, where it began in the Toluca Valley on the central plateau. Favorite Answer. The rate of growth of the fungus depends on temperature; infection from plant to plant requires a film of moisture on the leaf - the longer this film persists, the greater the opportunity for infection. The terrible Irish Potato Famine of 1845 killed off thousands and changed the country’s demographic forever. Scientists’ Viewpoint. Eventually, agriculturalists in Europe found potatoes easier to grow and cultivate than other staple crops, such as wheat and oats. He was a French pharmacist who did a lot to promote potatoes as a widely accepted food. Then in 1845, the potato blight hit Ireland (Crosby, 1972). In the harvest of 1845, between one-third and half of the potato crop was destroyed by the strange disease, which became known as 'potato blight'. Potatoes are very versatile vegetables. From Spain, potatoes slowly spread to Italy and other European countries during the late 1500s. Introduction into Ireland. Then beginning in 1845 and extending to 1849, the potato crop failed due to disease, and millions of Irish people starved. Many things can be made out of them, like fries and hashbrowns. 1588 -An Irish legend says that ships of the Spanish Armada, wrecked off the Irish coast in 1588, were carrying potatoes and that some of them washed ashore. But it did not receive a warm welcome. Ironically, the dependable potato was responsible for one of the most horrifying famines of the last 200 years. The president of the Royal Society, Sir Robert Southwell (1635-1702) was recorded in the minutes of a meeting of 13 December, 1693 as stating that his grandfather had ‘brought potatoes into Ireland who had them from Sir Walter Rawleigh after his return from Virginia’. As a result, potatoes evolved and were bred to be larger so that they could feed more people. It has been found that the ideal conditions for the spread of the disease are a relative humidity greater than about 90 per cent, and temperature in excess of about 10 C, both occurring simultaneously over an extended period. Potato arrived to Britain in 1585, Belgium and Germany in 1587, Austria in 1588, Ireland in 1589 and France in 1600. In the late 1800s, the modern-day russet potato was born. But it did not receive a warm welcome. However, by the time harvest had come in Autumn (Fall) 1846, almost the entire crop had been wiped out. The Irish Potato Famine, also called the Great Potato Famine, Great Irish Famine or Famine of 1845, was a key event in Irish history. Traditional wisdom has it that Sir Walter Raleigh introduced the crop to Ireland about 1585. Scientists have long known that it was a strain of Phytophthora infestans (or P. infestans) that caused the widespread devastation of potato crops in Ireland … Many of the potatoes were found to have gone black and rotten and their leaves had withered. The potatoes were planted in his estate in Ireland, making him the first British potato planter. 25 26 27. Top Answer. Fun Facts About Potatoes Potato Facts: Origins of the Potato. 1 Answer. ... while a further 10 per cent come from Northern Ireland. The earliest observed occurrence was on May 17th in Co Wexford, and the worst period was during the first two weeks of August, when the severe flooding in the south was followed by a spell of the warm, thundery, humid weather that makes Phytophtora so vigorously infestans. 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The fields present a space of withered black stalks. Many people were incredibly suspicious of potatoes, because of their resemblance to plants in the nightshade family—some people thought they were crafted by witches. Why does Ireland import 44,000 tonnes of British potatoes each year? In 1845 a disease called Potato Blight ruined potato crops all over Ireland. Within a year, potato crops across France, Belgium and Holland had been affected and by late 1845 between one-third and one-half of Ireland’s fields had been wiped out. The origin of potatoes is as amazing as the potato itself. After the Famine, Ireland's slow economic progress resulted in a continued drain of talented, hard-working young people. As we mentioned potatoes spread in the UK in the late 18th and early 19th century and became a staple food. It was also at least a hundred years after its arrival before the potato came to be accepted in any way as a food in the Mediterranean. While there's really no solid answer as to when potatoes came to Ireland, most people agree that it was introduced to the area by explorer Sir Walter... Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. By the early 1840s almost half the Irish population—but primarily the rural poor—had come to depend almost exclusively on the potato for their diet. It is not known for certain when it came to Ireland. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Get access to this video and our entire Q&A library. Answer Save. Introduced into Ireland in the mid-1700s, the potato proved to be an ideal crop for its environment. 1719– Potatoes had been introduced to the United States several times throughout the 1600s. If travelling by night, you would know when a potato field was near by the smell. From Spain, potatoes slowly spread to Italy and other European countries during the late 1500s. Why did Sir Walter Raleigh become an explorer? As the population of Ireland grew, so did the consumption of potatoes (Crosby, 1972). Where did Irish potatoes come from? Part III in the series of articles Irish Potatoes: The Spud in Irish Food Traditions. It is a member, my informants also tell me, of the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes, aubergines and peppers. Question: When did the potato come to Ireland? About 1780 the people of Ireland adopted the rugged food crop. The potato is not native to Ireland, or indeed any part of Europe. Peru in South America, more specifically. Namely, after Ireland ratified the Acts of Union in 1801, it became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Question: When did the potato come to Ireland? By mid-August 1845, it had spread to northern France and southern England; it arrived in Ireland in September, with demographic consequences which have shaped our history ever since. Relevance. In 1841, Ireland's population was more than eight million. In September 1845 a strange disease struck the potatoes as they grew in fields across Ireland. The potato, from the perennial Solanum tuberosum, is the world’s fourth largest food crop, following rice, wheat, and maize.. How Trump is martyring the U.S. Services, Sea Dog Sir Walter Raleigh, Explorer: Facts, Route & History, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. It lasted for almost 5 years. They were carried over to Lancashire, according to Gerarde, who had some in his garden in 1597, but only for use as a delicate dish, not as common food. All potatoes did not come from Ireland. In these countries people were less dependent on potato as a food, unlike the Irish. Potatoes in Ireland: Roots of Romance. The Irish Potato Famine, which in Ireland became known as "The Great Hunger," was a turning point in Irish history. As the stalks of Ireland’s potato plants began to wilt in the autumn of 1845, so did her people. Create your account. With milk and one-and-a-half acres of planted potatoes, a family could eat for a year in Ireland (Crosby, 1972). Bigger is Better Although around St. Patrick’s Day, you would think potatoes all come from Ireland, they are actually American in origin. The potato comes from South America and would have come to Europe with returning Spanish explorers in the 1570s. Consider the potato as a quantum tuber. Within this species, however, more than 600 different varieties are known in Europe. The only problem with potatoes is their susceptibility to disease, the worst of which, Phytophtora infestans, is known more commonly as blight. Ireland's population has yet to recover from the potato blight of 1845-52. Potatoes were planted in Idaho as early as 1838; by 1900 the state's production exceeded a million bushels (about 27,000 tonnes). He saw potatoes during the 7-year war (1756-1763) when he was captured several times. For the next 80 years it was grown in small numbers, mainly in Munster, as a garden crop or stand-by. In gardening books of the late 1600s, they are spoken of rather slightingly, as "food for poor people", "muched used for bread in Ireland and America" and as "food for swine or cattle". It had been found by Spanish conquistadors in south America in the 1500s was shipped to Europe, and reached Ireland around 1590. Ireland gets an average of 60 inches of precipitation each year, in general too much for potatoes. All potatoes did not come from Ireland. report project. They were not widely grown for almost a century until 1719, when they were planted in Londonderry, New Hampshire, by Scotch-Irish immigrants, and from there spread across the nation. It was thought eating potatoes cause leprosy. please help. They are also in nearly every part of the world, from South America to Ireland. Europe would wait until the 1780's before the potato gained prominence anywhere. Potato blight is a fungus, and its appearance on the crop is often a legacy transmitted by infected tubers which have survived from the previous season. T… The 1600s saw the spread of potatoes through Spain, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, and Portugal, but people were hesitant to cook with them. Many things can be made out of them, like fries and hashbrowns. But the use of potatoes gradually spread, as their excellent qualities became better understood. Yet another curious suggestion for the origin of spud for potato has to do with another name for a potato that is common in Ireland: Murphy. A million people are said to have died of hunger in Ireland in the late 1840s, on the doorstep of the world's richest nation. Aside from these remains, the potato is also found in the Peruvian archaeological record as a design influence of ceramic pottery, often in the shape of vessels. The humble spud, we are told, is the best package of nutrition in the world, being rich in calories, minerals, vitamins and protein and virtually free of fat. Irish potatoes are named after Ireland because they are closely associated with the Irish potato famine, a historical famine caused by a mold infestation of the Irish potato … The potato is widely thought to have been introduced to Ireland in 1586 by an American, Sir Walter Raleigh. Did Irish bring potatoes to America? 1771 – Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (1737-1813), a French military chemist and botanist, won a contest sponsored by the Academy of Besancon to find a food “capable of reducing the calamities of famine” with his study o… All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Raleigh first came to the attention of Elizabeth I in 1580, when he went to Ireland to help suppress an uprising in Munster. 28 July 1586: Britain is introduced to the potato. Then in 1845, the potato blight hit Ireland (Crosby, 1972). Starving townspeople raid a potato store in Galway, in Ireland, during the Irish potato famine, on June 13, 1842. The Advancement of Learning by Francis Bacon: Summary & Analysis, Queen Elizabeth I and England's Golden Age, The Age of Discovery: Timeline & Explorers, Praxis World & U.S. History - Content Knowledge (5941): Practice & Study Guide, Michigan Merit Exam - Social Studies: Test Prep & Practice, Praxis Social Studies - Content Knowledge (5081): Study Guide & Practice, History 106: The Civil War and Reconstruction, ILTS Social Science - History (246): Test Practice and Study Guide, SAT Subject Test US History: Practice and Study Guide, SAT Subject Test World History: Practice and Study Guide, High School World History: Tutoring Solution, AP European History: Homework Help Resource, High School US History: Homework Help Resource, High School US History: Tutoring Solution, Middle School US History: Help and Review, Biological and Biomedical A Priest in Galway wrote "As to the potatoes they are all gone - clean gone. The potato, which had become a staple crop in Ireland by the 18th century, was appealing in that it was a hardy, nutritious, and calorie-dense crop and relatively easy to grow in the Irish soil. By 1600, the potato had entered Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, England, Germany, Portugal and Ireland. The potatoes grown by Raleigh were not the potatoes we know today. © copyright 2003-2021 Study.com. Since, for some reason, people named Murphy inevitably get the nickname Spud, and potatoes are sometimes called “Murphy,” the name Spud was also applied to potatoes.However, it is more likely, and often suggested, that the nickname of Spud for … Even John Evelyn seems to have a poor opinion of them. Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589 on the 40,000 acres of land near Cork. A severe drought in Europe in 1846 helped to kill the blight completely. 1588 – An Irish legend says that ships of the Spanish Armada, wrecked off the Irish coast in 1588, were carrying potatoes and that some of them washed ashore. The Irish, we were taught, in the 1800’s, were so enthusiastic about potatoes, and so silly, that they planted nothing but potatoes and ate a diet almost exclusively of potatoes. Irish Potato Blight Originated in South America By Stephanie Pappas 03 January 2017 Starving townspeople raid a potato store in Galway, in Ireland, during the Irish potato famine, on June 13, 1842. This is known as the Great Irish Famine. For the next 80 years it was grown in small numbers, mainly in Munster, as a garden crop or stand-by. It changed Irish society forever, most strikingly by greatly reducing the population. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal Many people died from hunger because they had no other food to eat. potato into Ireland.9 There are difficulties in the way of such a view, all of which have been recog-nized by the men who have studied the ques-tion. The bug known as the Colorado potato beetle did not devour potatoes—at first. The primary reason for its acceptance in Ireland was its ability to produce abundant, nutritious food. Unlike any other major crop, potatoes contain most of the vitamins needed for sustenance. 1 decade ago. (Image: © Photo by Illustrated London News/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) The … The people of Ireland became dependent on the potato as their food and livelihood. Potatoes dating to about 2000 BC have been found at Huaynuma, in the Casma Valley of Peru, and early potatoes dating to 800-500 BC were also uncovered at the Altiplano site of Chiripa on the east side of Lake Titicaca. What caused the Irish potato famine? After some time there was very little food other than potatoes available to the ordinary people of Ireland. Irish potatoes are not Irish at all. Farmers found that potatoes could grow double the food in the same land. The shrubby perennials with edible tubers, grown as cool-weather annuals in rows, raised beds, or containers, are native to the South American Andes. An Irish potato is an edible tuber from the Solanum tuberosum plant, which is actually native to South America, not Ireland. It had been found by Spanish conquistadors in south America in the 1500s was shipped to Europe, and reached Ireland around 1590. Many people had to leave Ireland in search of a better … His efforts were even more significant because in his time, by the law from 1748, the cultivation of potatoes was banned. That year, however, it turned up in New Hampshire and Vermont and, three years later it appeared in Belgium. Wiki User Answered . North America The plants were from Ireland, so the crop became known as the "Irish potato". By 1600, the potato had entered Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, England, Germany, Portugal and Ireland. With milk and one-and-a-half acres of planted potatoes, a family could eat for a year in Ireland (Crosby, 1972). By the 1800s, potatoes were a staple in the homes of Irish families. The potato was first planted by Sir Walter Raleigh on his estate of Youghall, near Cork, and Gough says that it was cultivated in Ireland before its value was recognised in England. The Great Famine (Irish: an Gorta Mór [anˠ ˈɡɔɾˠt̪ˠə ˈmˠoːɾˠ]), also known as the Great Hunger, the Great Starvation, the Famine (mostly within Ireland), or the Irish Potato Famine (mostly outside Ireland), was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852. Major infestations were reported from Donegal to Cork and the number of days when weather condition favoured its advance was more than double the climatic norm. How did a remote Mayo town become Ireland’s most Covid-infected place? Postal Service. The Irish Potato Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, began in 1845 when a fungus-like organism called Phytophthora infestans (or P. infestans) spread rapidly throughout Ireland. All rights reserved. Who established a colony on Roanoke Island? What was the Irish potato famine? NFL rookie cut for sneaking woman into hotel: Report. 1589 – Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), British explorer and historian known for his expeditions to the Americas, first brought the potato to Ireland and planted them at his Irish estate at Myrtle Grove, Youghal, near Cork, Ireland. As a staple diet for the native population, it proved to be ideal. This was especially the case with Ireland. 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