a plate begging for a huddle of new potatoes with a hint of parsley and butter that launches pomme de terre into the strata of haute cuisine,

The wonderful world of food would be quite different without the versatile potato.

French Roadblocks in the Potato’s Cultural Heritage

As we savor the delicious variations of potato, we don’t often think of its lineage—its cultural heritage.

But, if you’re eating a potato creation in France, a moment of tribute is in order, with a particular thank you to a pomme de terre hero—Antoine-Augustin Parmentier.

The cultural heritage of the potato in France did not have an auspicious beginning.

Potato-less cuisine was the norm for the French prior to 1785. While some parts of the world had been introduced to potatoes for many years (or thousands of years in its homeland Peru), the French did not embrace the potato’s virtues.

Potatoes were considered, at best, food for farm animals. At worst, people believed the underground tubers caused leprosy.

Parmentier: A Potato Hero

He is honored with a Paris metro stop (where you can learn about the history of the potato), a street name, and several statues in France.

He is also honored by being named in several French dishes that feature potatoes such as potage Parmentier (potato and leek soup) and anything Parmentier (usually something mixed with mashed potatoes, like hachis Parmentier, which is ground meat and mashed potatoes, similar to Shepherd’s pie).

His grave in the Père Lachaise Cemetery is ringed with potato plants and, almost always, has a few potatoes placed on the gravestone ledges in tribute.

a. A health food promoter
b. A serious scientist
c. A hobnobber with celebrities and royalty
d. A master marketer
e. All of the above

The answer, for such a complex character, is of course “All of the above” . . . and more.

Parmentier was a pharmacist by trade, but, while in the army, he was captured by the Prussians during the Seven Years War.

During his imprisonment, his diet consisted almost solely of potatoes. To his surprise, he realized the tuber must be nutritious because he stayed healthy. Also to his surprise, he discovered they were pretty darn tasty (no thanks to the prison chef).

When he was released and returned to Paris, he made it his mission to alert the French to the benefits of the potato.

He did research and wrote papers, with seductive titles such as “Inquiry into Nourishing Vegetables that in Times of Necessity Could Be Substituted for Ordinary Food.”

When the papers didn’t quite convince the public, he used his master marketing skills.

He planted a field of potatoes in the city and posted guards so that people would think the plants were valuable. He was also clever enough to give the guards the night off so that people could steal the plants and begin to grow them as the valuable treasures they were.

He hosted sumptuous dinner parties for the Paris notables (including Benjamin Franklin) that featured a variety of potato dishes for their dining pleasure.

For his final marketing push, he gave bouquets of potato blossoms to the king and queen. He won their favor, resulting in a royal decree that the potato was now an acceptable vegetable in France.

A Rich Resource

Annabelle—Amandine—Belle de Fontenay—Charlotte—Chérie—Ratte—Rosella—Bintje—Marabel—Monalisa—Nicola—Agata

These are not starlet stage names. They are the names of just a few of the 300 varieties of potato grown in France.

Thanks to Parmentier’s research, we now know that potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamins B and C, magnesium, and potassium.

And thanks to Parmentier’s tireless work on behalf of the potato, France now produces more than six million tons of potatoes each year and is the primary exporter to other European countries.

A Lasting Friendship with the Potato

“The potato has now none but friends,” Parmentier wrote in one of his last books. His potato work was done.

The friendship is lasting. Today, most everyone in France (and beyond) is a friend of the potato, as we pay tribute to its cultural heritage by munching our French fries, potato chips, and Parmentier dishes.

The “Oh, I see” moment for me is about taking a moment to thank the dedicated hero of the pomme de terre story in France.

Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in . . . even if it’s potatoes.

To read a similar story about one person’s quest to bring a food to Paris (in this case, kale), go to The Kale Project.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

$\"Potatoes$

Potatoes taking their rightful place on French market shelves
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n

How\u00a0France’s Parmentier Changed the\u00a0Cultural Heritage of the Potato<\/h2>\n
Imagine . . .<\/p>\n
a world without mountains of crispy French fries,<\/p>\n
a holiday dinner minus fluffy clouds of mashed potatoes,<\/p>\n
a steak without a baked potato dripping with\u00a0sour cream,<\/p>\n
a plate begging for a huddle\u00a0of new potatoes with a hint of parsley and butter that launches pomme de terre<\/em> into the strata of haute cuisine,<\/p>\n
silence instead of the crunch of a potato chip while watching a ball game.<\/p>\n
The wonderful world of food would be quite different without the versatile potato.<\/p>\n
$\"Stuffed$
The overstuffed baked potato
\u00a9 Bruskov\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n
French Roadblocks in the\u00a0Potato\u2019s Cultural Heritage<\/h4>\n
As we savor the delicious variations of potato, we don\u2019t often think of its lineage\u2014its cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
But, if you\u2019re eating a potato creation in France, a moment of tribute is in order, with a particular thank you to a pomme de terre<\/em> hero\u2014Antoine-Augustin Parmentier.<\/p>\n
The cultural heritage of the potato in France did not have an auspicious beginning.<\/p>\n
Potato-less cuisine was the norm for the French prior to 1785. While some parts of the world had been introduced to potatoes for many years (or thousands of years in its homeland Peru), the French did not embrace the potato\u2019s virtues.<\/p>\n
Potatoes were considered, at best, food for farm animals. At worst, people believed the underground tubers caused leprosy.<\/p>\n
$\"Fields$
Potato fields
\u00a9 P. Wollinga\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n
Parmentier: A Potato Hero<\/h4>\n
One man\u00a0changed potato history in France: Antoine-Augustin Parmentier.<\/p>\n
He is honored with a Paris metro stop (where you can learn about the history of the potato), a street name, and several statues in France.<\/p>\n
$\"Paris$
Learning about pomme de terre history at the Paris Metro Stop Parmentier
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
He is also honored by being named in several\u00a0French dishes that feature potatoes such as potage Parmentier (potato and leek soup) and anything Parmentier (usually something mixed with mashed potatoes, like hachis Parmentier, which is ground meat and mashed potatoes, similar to Shepherd\u2019s pie).<\/p>\n
$\"Hachis$
Hachis Parmentier (mashed potatoes and minced meat)
\u00a9 mikafotostok\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n
His grave in the P\u00e8re Lachaise Cemetery is ringed with potato plants and, almost always, has a few potatoes placed on the gravestone ledges in\u00a0tribute.<\/p>\n
Who was Parmentier?<\/p>\n
a. A health food promoter
\nb. A serious scientist
\nc. A hobnobber with celebrities and royalty
\nd. A master marketer
\ne. All of the above<\/p>\n
The answer, for such a complex character, is of course \u201cAll of the above\u201d . . . and more.<\/p>\n
$\"Statue$
Statue of Parmentier giving potatoes to a peasant (by Albert Roze)
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
Parmentier was a pharmacist by trade, but, while in the army, he was captured by the Prussians during the Seven Years War.<\/p>\n
During his imprisonment, his diet consisted almost solely of potatoes. To his surprise, he realized the tuber must be nutritious because he stayed healthy. Also to his surprise, he discovered they were pretty darn tasty (no thanks to the prison chef).<\/p>\n
When he was released and returned to Paris, he made it his mission to alert the French to the benefits of the potato.<\/p>\n
He did research and wrote papers, with seductive titles such as \u201cInquiry into Nourishing Vegetables that in Times of Necessity Could Be Substituted for Ordinary Food.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the papers didn\u2019t quite convince the public, he used his master marketing skills.<\/p>\n
$\"Painting$
Painting of Parmentier with a bouquet of potato blossoms (hanging at Chateau Versailles)
By Fran\u00e7ois Dumont<\/p><\/div>\n
He planted a field of potatoes in the city and posted guards so that people would think the plants were valuable. He was also clever enough to give the guards the night off so that people could steal the plants and begin to grow them as the valuable treasures they were.<\/p>\n
He hosted\u00a0sumptuous\u00a0dinner parties for the Paris notables (including Benjamin Franklin) that featured a variety of potato dishes for their dining pleasure.<\/p>\n
For his final marketing push, he gave bouquets of potato blossoms to the king and queen. He won their favor, resulting in a royal decree that the potato was now an acceptable vegetable in France.<\/p>\n
$\"Three$
Three popular potatoes of the more than 300 varieties grown in France
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
A Rich Resource<\/h4>\n
Annabelle\u2014Amandine\u2014Belle de Fontenay\u2014Charlotte\u2014Ch\u00e9rie\u2014Ratte\u2014Rosella\u2014Bintje\u2014Marabel\u2014Monalisa\u2014Nicola\u2014Agata<\/em><\/p>\n
These are not starlet stage names. They are the names of just a few of the 300 varieties of potato grown in France.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Parmentier\u2019s research, we now know that potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamins B and C, magnesium, and potassium.<\/p>\n
And thanks to Parmentier\u2019s tireless work on behalf of the potato, France now produces more than six\u00a0million tons of potatoes each year and is the primary exporter to other European countries.<\/p>\n
$\"Roasted$
The traditional French roasted potatoes
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
A Lasting Friendship\u00a0with the Potato<\/h4>\n
\u201cThe potato has now none but friends,\u201d Parmentier wrote in one of his last books. His potato work was done.<\/p>\n
The friendship is\u00a0lasting. Today, most everyone in France (and beyond) is a friend of the potato, as we pay tribute to its\u00a0cultural heritage by munching our French fries, potato chips, and Parmentier dishes.<\/p>\n
The \u201cOh, I see\u201d moment<\/strong> for me is about taking a moment to thank the dedicated hero of the pomme de terre<\/em>\u00a0story in France.<\/p>\n
Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in . . . even if it\u2019s potatoes.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
A tile tribute to the potato at the Parmentier Metro Station in Paris
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
To read a similar story about one person’s quest to bring a food to Paris (in this case, kale), go to The Kale Project.<\/a><\/p>\n
For a great recipe for potato leek soup, try\u00a0David Lebovitz’s version.<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
Comment<\/a><\/i>\u00a0on this post below, or inspire insight with your own\u00a0OIC Moment\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":27245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,200],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heritage-culture","category-france-mappoints"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27229"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40777,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27229\/revisions\/40777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

How France’s Parmentier Changed the Cultural Heritage of the Potato

French Roadblocks in the Potato’s Cultural Heritage

Parmentier: A Potato Hero

A Rich Resource

A Lasting Friendship with the Potato