By the 1800s many of the ordinary people in Ireland needed the potato to live .
You could be asking “Why potatoes in ireland?”
Well, The potato emerged strongly in Ireland because it suited the soil, climate and living conditions remarkably well . What set Ireland apart from other European countries was the way the population took to the tuber – the potato was universally liked.
The potato is widely thought to have been introduced to Ireland in 1586 by an American, Sir Walter Raleigh. However, the potatoes grown by Raleigh were not the potatoes we know today.
One source claimed The first Europeans to accept it as a field crop in the seventeenth century, the Irish were the first to embrace it as a staple food in the eighteenth . The potato emerged strongly in Ireland because it suited the soil, climate and living conditions remarkably well.
The potato plant was hardy, nutritious, calorie-dense, and easy to grow in Irish soil. By the time of the famine, nearly half of Ireland’s population relied almost exclusively on potatoes for their diet , and the other half ate potatoes frequently.
Yet another inquiry we ran across in our research was “Did Raleigh grow potatoes in Ireland?”.
However, the potatoes grown by Raleigh were not the potatoes we know today . Raleigh’s potato was a sweet potato and some people believe that the potato as we know it was not introduced into Ireland until 1590, when it was first planted by a shipwrecked Spanish sailor.
What is Ireland’s relationship with the potato?
No other European nation has a more special relationship with the potato than Ireland. The first Europeans to accept it as a field crop in the seventeenth century, the Irish were the first to embrace it as a staple food in the eighteenth.
Let us dig in! nowadays, Ireland’s relationship with the potato is not quite as strong as it was. It is still widely eaten, especially in rural areas but is often substituted with rice or pasta as the dependence wanes.
Well, the potato has played an important role in Irish Art. Achill Island’s (County Mayo) desolate beauty of the West of Ireland has inspired many Irish artists, including Paul Henry, whose well-known works “The Potato Diggers” (1910) and ‘The Potato Pickers” (1912) were painted on the Island.
What food is Ireland famous for growing?
Potatoes is what Ireland would be most famous for growing, but there are also lots of vegetables and grains and other important foods grown in Ireland . Why did immigrants from Ireland tend to settle in cities?
Where do potatoes come from?
The potato is a starchy tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from Canada to southern Chile .