Forget super foods – have a superspud

7:23am Monday 10th March 2008

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DID you know that there is more vitamin C in a packet of crisps than an apple? On my daily visit to the vending machine, I comfort myself with this thought.

We all know that potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, making them a good source of energy. But digging a little deeper into the nutritional value of the spud, I discover that they also have the highest protein content (around 2.1 per cent on a fresh weight basis) in the family of root and tuber crops.

In addition to being very rich in vitamin C - eaten with its skin a single medium-sized potato contains about half the recommended daily intake -the potato is a moderate source of iron, and a good source of vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.

It also contains dietary antioxidants, which may play a part in preventing diseases related to ageing, and dietary fibre - a jacket potato contains more than a bowl of bran flakes.

The United Nations has officially declared 2008, the International Year of the Potato (IYP), which will focus on the importance of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty.

Worldwide, the potato is recognised as one of the most important agricultural crops, coming in at Number 4 after maize, wheat and rice.

There are spud rows on China's Yunnan plateau and the subtropical lowlands of India, on Java's equatorial highlands and the steppes of Ukraine. And the potato has been consumed in the Andes for about 8,000 years. Belonging to the Solanaceae - or nightshade - family of flowering plants, the potato shares the genus solanum with at least 1,000 other species, including tomato and eggplant.

The potato - solanum tuberosum - is divided into two, slightly different, subspecies. The andigena, which is adapted to short day conditions, is mainly grown in the Andes, while tuberosum, the potato now cultivated around the world, is believed to be descended from a small introduction to Europe of andigena potatoes that later adapted to longer day lengths.

Taken by the Spanish to Europe in the 16th century, the potato quickly spread across the globe. In the UK, Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with presenting the potato to Elizabeth I. But other versions of the story say that Francis Drake brought tubers from Cartagena in Columbia.

Either way, we took the potato to our hearts. With 3,000 potato farmers, the UK is the 11th largest potato-producing country in the world - we eat 94kg of potatoes per person, per year. The main potato season starts in August and runs through to the spring, which is when British new potatoes start being harvested.

The nutritive value of a potato depends on the method of preparation. By itself, potato is not fattening but since the starch in raw potato cannot be digested by humans, it is prepared for consumption by boiling (with or without the skin), baking or frying.

All three methods reduce fibre and protein content, owing to leaching into cooking water and oil, destruction by heat treatment or chemical changes such as oxidation.

Boiling potatoes reduces the vitamin C content, but boiling them in their skins is better. In general, baking causes slightly higher losses of vitamin C than boiling, owing to the higher oven temperatures, but losses of other vitamins and minerals during this process are lower.

In the preparation of chips, frying the potatoes for a short time in hot oil results in high absorption of fat and significantly reduces mineral and ascorbic acid content.

The British Potato Council (BPC) has pledged its support to the IYP and is planning a series of activities for the year including the Grow Your Own Potatoes' project for primary school children to learn about potatoes. Grow Your Own, which is in its third year, has been so successful that the UN has launched its own version.

BPC marketing director Kathryn Race said: "We are anticipating 8,000 schools will take part in Grow Your Own' this year, teaching 250,000 children all about potatoes. The project is supported by a wealth of educational resources for teachers. In celebration of the International Year of the Potato we'll also be producing more worksheets on subjects such as geography and history, as well as encouraging awareness of the need for other nations to grow potatoes."

Over the next two decades, the world's population is expected to grow by more than 100 million people a year. More than 95 per cent of that increase will occur in developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. The potato, ideally suited to places where land is limited and labour is abundant, is intended to be a major component in strategies for providing nutritious food for the poor and hungry.

For more information, visit britishpotatoes.co.uk or potato2008.org