06.24.08
Thing 8 Stretch – You Say Potato…
My stretch visit to Wikipedia stemmed from a friendly, but ongoing argument that my husband and I were having about potatoes. I believe that the phrase “new potatoes” refers to a manner of preparing the vegetable, but my husband claims that “new potatoes” are actually a type of potato grown and harvested, not just a dish. Who is correct? I decided to solve the problem once and for all by consulting The World Potato Congress, The British Potato Council, The European Cultivated Potato Database, and The Potato Museum through Wikipedia (yes, I found this entry to be extensive, well-written, informative, etc.). Wikipedia also suggested that for additional information about the veggie, I visit the Wikibooks Cookbook entry about potatoes. I did, and there the answer stood, glaring me in the face:
“The term new potato is most frequently used to describe those potatoes freshly harvested and marketed during the late winter or early spring. The name is also widely used in later crop producing areas to designate freshly dug potatoes which are not fully matured. The best uses for new potatoes are boiling or mashing.” (see page here.)
Enjoy this hunny: You were right, I was wrong.
Oh, and by the way: Happy Year of the Potato!
