The potato, from the perennial Solanum tuberosum, is the world’s fourth largest food crop, following rice, wheat, and maize.. Over-reliance on potatoes led to some of the worst food crises in the modern history of Europe. The potato alone gets credit for population booms in parts of northern Europe that paved the way for urbanization and, in turn, fueled the Industrial Revolution. Click to see full answer. In the 16th century, about 1570, Spanish explorers would have brought it back to Europe. In Europe, they used the same variety of potato everywhere creating fields of potato clones (Mann, 2011). The first potatoes brought to Europe experienced the shock of the European growing season, where the length of night and day varied through the year, with the longest days occurring during summer. It took nearly four decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. Who brought potatoes to Ireland? In 1845–52 a potato blight caused by an airborne fungus swept across northern Europe with especially costly consequences in Ireland, western Scotland, and the Low Countries. In the mid-1500s, Spanish explorers discovered the Inca growing white potatoes in the Andes Mountain s of modern-day Peru and Chile and brought the plant to Europe. Tuberisation - the development of larger tubers - did not occur in … 28 July 1586: Britain is introduced to the potato On this day in 1586, Sir Thomas Harriot brought the first potato back to Britain from the 'New Found Land of … The potato came from south America. Therein lies the dilemma, since it is not andigena that we see every day on our dinner tables, but tuberosum. Just so, are potatoes native to Ireland? On its way from South America to Spain, the potato made a stopover on the (Spanish) Canary Islands. 4 It is unclear which European explorer introduced the potato to Ireland, but Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, and John Hawkins have all … The first journey from Chile to Europe via the Straits of Magellan was not made until 1579, when the potato was already known in Europe. In South America, the Andean natives bred different potato varieties, which vary in size and color (Mann, 2011). When explorers brought potatoes back from the Andes, Europe was able to reverse its population decline and establish greater food security. When the potato was brought to Europe, people were unsure of it (Crosby, 1972). The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around 8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C. Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589 on the 40,000 acres of land near Cork. Fun Facts About Potatoes Potato Facts: Origins of the Potato. A million starved, and two million emigrated—mostly Irish. The potato is … By the time Spanish explorers brought the first potatoes to Europe from South America in the 16th century, they had been bred into a fully edible plant. Conquering Europe. Even though there was some resistance to eating potatoes for the next 200 years, eventually the white potato became the world's most widely grown vegetable. The potato would follow its sweeter cousin, arriving on a ship traveling through the Strait of Gibraltar to Europe and spreading from Spain to Ireland. This is known because in November 1567 three barrels containing potatoes, oranges and green lemons were shipped from Gran Canaria to Antwerp, and in 1574 two barrels of potatoes were shipped from Tenerife via Gran Canaria to Rouen. It was therefore, he argued, the less favourable andigena that was brought to Europe from Colombia. In 1536 Spanish Conquistadors conquered Peru, discovered the flavors of the potato, and carried them to Europe. 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