This Spud's For You

Fried, roasted, mashed, steamed: it's hard to imagine life without
the crispy, fluffy comfort blanket of potatoes. But until the late
1500s, no one outside the Americas had ever encountered this
terrific tuber, and initially Europeans, particularly peasant
farmers, didn't trust it at all. Or did they? This episode, we tell
the story of the potato's rise to global dominance once it set sail
from its native Andean home—and the stories behind that story! From
tax evasion and population explosions to soup kitchens
and potato bling, listen in now as Rebecca Earle, author of the new
book, Feeding the People, helps us uncover the delightful myths and
even more incredible true history of the spud. Learn more about
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