Potato History
Blog Post #1
April 12, 2015
Cameron Schott
Usually when people talk about Irish food, the potato would be brought up almost all the time. But what some people don't know is that back in 1840's, the potato has killed millions of people because of The Potato Famine. This fungal disease called Phytophthora Infestans, better known as Potato Blight, rotted the potatoes in the ground, rendering entire crops inedible and obliterating the primary food source for millions of people.There was no potato crop in 1845 and 1846 and although there was a little blight in 1847 there had been too few potatoes planted for the harvest to be of any use. During the years of the famine, between 1841 and 1851 the Irish population fell from over 8 million to about 6.5 million, and with mass emigration continuing in the subsequent decades it was down to 4.5 million by the turn of the century. Thankfully by this time of the year, the potato famine has come to an end. As I was researching this, I had no idea that such a small food like the potato could make such a huge impact on Ireland. Even though I am Irish, I don't know much about the Irish culture, food, etc. and I would like to know more information about Ireland as I make these blogs.
http://www.dochara.com/the-irish/food-history/the-irish-potato-famine-1846-1850/
A healthy potato and one with blight
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