Propagating Potato Knowledge: APRE & Potatoes USA Move To Bring Research Further Into Public View

摘要

Rarely do tales from the Dark Ages shed light on modern trends in health and science, but the (entirely true) legend of the Potato King is a notable exception to this rule. Back in the days of the Bubonic Plague, potatoes were woefully misunderstood by the general populace. People suspected they were agents of horrific ailments like leprosy, and fear spread like wildfire. Fueling this paranoia was, as is often the case, a pervasive atmosphere of secrecy and hearsay. Then along came Frederick the Great, ruler of Prussia, who devised an elaborate ruse to trick his royal subjects into embracing the spud. He planted a potato crop and installed sentries to pretend to keep watch over the fields around the clock; in reality, the guards had been instructedto let the townspeople sneak past them and make off with tubers. The monarch's masterful use of reverse psychology enhanced the appeal of potatoes, removed barriers to accessing them, and encouraged their widespread adoption in the nation's agriculturalecosystem. In 1744, Frederick ordered potato seed to be distributed to every corner of his kingdom—another wise move, as scholars have attributed Prussia's ability to ride out the Seven Years War to its ample stores of spuds. Had rulers like Frederick elected, instead, to wall off potatoes and their wonderous benefits from the widerworld, there's no telling how much darker those ages might have been.