4

The proof of the pudding is in the eating ….?

The potato – brought to Europe by the conquistadores – was only slowly accepted as food. In the beginning people ate the fruit of the plants which caused them severe stomach problems; as a result, potatoes were regarded as poisonous.
Frederick the Great quickly realised the importance of the unimpressive bulb as a remedy for the rampant hunger crisis and enforced the cultivation of potatoes in the Prussian provinces by issuing a “potato order”. The farmers in Brandenburg, known for their recalcitrance, refused to follow this order and thus Frederick according to popular tradition employed a trick: He had potatoes planted on heavily guarded fields around Berlin and had the rumour spread that these were exclusively destined for regal consumption. At this point the farmers came to steal the precious potatoes – and the guards, instructed to feign sleep, let it happen. The thieves then secretly planted the suddenly acceptable potatoes in their fields thus paving the ground for their establishment as a staple food all over Prussia.