Did you hear the legend of potatoes?

Everyone knows that potatoes are the same kind of food that we must have in our lives. Today, it is about to become the fourth largest staple on the Chinese table. In history, the potato has made many battles and become the food of choice for some special industries. Did you ever hear about these legends about potatoes?

[Legend One]

The "super dry food" on the battlefield?

In World War II, the United States relied on its strong economic strength and scientific and technological strength to invest a lot of manpower, material resources, and energy to develop and produce nutritious, super-portable, and storage-resistant "superfoods." These super battlefield dry grains are just like the fuel of vehicles and the ammunition of weapons, providing guarantees for the United States to maintain a good combat capability.

In the past, the American soldier could not have had a military compressed biscuit and a SPAM luncheon meat on the battlefield. The main ingredient of both was "powdered potato."

Luncheon meat is a kind of lumpy product made by mixing a small amount of pork with a large amount of potato powder and adding oil and salt. This kind of meat was contained in canned tin cans and became popular all over the world. 99% of the military compressed biscuits are whole potato powder, and others are binders and flavorings.

In 1937, the first canned luncheon meat enriched with potato powder produced by the United States Mel Food Company became the main source of protein in the food of the Allied World War II. In 1941, Japanese troops attacked Pearl Harbor, preparing hundreds of thousands of American troops for the front line to prepare superfoods that were easy to carry and have adequate nutrition. The US military logistics support department picked the SPAM luncheon meat after selection, and was small and portable. Military compressed cookies.

Facts have proved that luncheon meat and compressed biscuits as a staple food for soldiers are a very wise decision. Their main ingredient is the whole potato powder, almost all the food, vegetables, fruits, all the nutrients, but also added oil, absolutely full nutrition. At the time, the highest commander of the coalition, Eisenhower, said: "In the past four years, luncheon meat and compressed biscuits have helped us win the war!"

After World War II, great changes have taken place in the preparation and recipes of American food. Luncheon meat and "compressed biscuits for military use" have also gradually changed into ready-to-eat rations MRE. During the Vietnam War, the American military’s field foods also included stewed chicken and pork. In the Gulf War and the Iraq war, the main food of the US military is a mature food. The food is a soft packaged food, small size, light weight, good taste. Cooked foods include: cream chicken, potato chips, ham, potato stew steak, salted beef mashed potatoes, and more. Therefore, it can be found that small potatoes always play an important role in the battlefield.

[Legend 2]

Is potato just as important as love?

The Potato Museum in Munich is one of the three potato museums in Germany. Thousands of potatoes from around the world are collected here. The museum also uses oil paintings, sculptures and other art forms to tell people about the history and culture of potatoes.

It is said that potato was not popular when it first arrived in Europe. The Germans changed their attitude towards potatoes and were related to Friedrich the Great of Prussia. In the middle of the 18th century, plagues and natural disasters invaded Germany, resulting in the loss of agricultural grains and many people starving to death. In a crisis, Friedrich thought of a good variety of potatoes. He first gave the potatoes the reputation of the royal family, and the royal female members wore potato flowers. Then he asked the soldiers to plant a large slice of potatoes. After they had grown up, they sent the most elite troops to guard and withdrew the troops at night. As a result, curious peasants went to the fields late at night to steal potatoes. In this way, the cultivation of potatoes has become popular. Until now, potatoes are always placed in front of the tomb of Friedrich the Great at the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany.

For Germans, potatoes are even more of a "life-saving straw." There have been many famines in Germany's history, but it is because of the “three potatoes a day” that the Germans have passed through the crisis again and again. Since 1929, Germany has suffered a world economic crisis. Many people can only afford potatoes, and when they serve as a staple food, they call it "the second bread." To date, Germans still eat potatoes at least twice a day for three meals a day.

The German supermarket has a wide range of potato food. There are also a number of new potatoes emerging: the potato hotel, which provides potato-related tourism services; the potato monument, where all historical figures who have contributed to the potato business are engraved on the tablet; The potato library can be found in the history of potatoes, interesting stories, and academic books on potatoes. In Lower Saxony, when young men and women love each other, they will give each other a potato, because to the local people: "Love is as precious as potatoes."

The Germans love potatoes. They also include the "potato spirit" such as "hard-working," "simple and unpretentious," just like the German people. It is no wonder that European neighbors have simply called Germany "the potato country."