The potato/pəˈteɪtoʊ/ is not only a starchy food but also a tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum, making it a popular root vegetable native to the Americas. Furthermore, this plant belongs to the perennial nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated (§ History) by Native Americans independently in multiple locations, but later genetic studies traced a single origin, in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia. Potatoes were domesticated there approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago, from a species in the S. brevicaule complex. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.
Potatoes In Other Countries
Potatoes were introduced to Europe from the Americas by the Spanish in the second half of the 16th century. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world’s food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world’s fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice. Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 5,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of potatoes presently cultivated worldwide descend from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile.
The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially Northern and Eastern Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production during the 21st century was in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world production of 376 million tonnes (370,000,000 long tons; 414,000,000 short tons), as of 2021.
Are Potatoes Healthy?
Like the tomato, the potato is nightshade in the genus Solanum, and the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine which is dangerous for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible for human health, but, if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health. (Wikipedia.com)
Ingredients
4 medium potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 teaspoons dried chives
4 tablespoons cheddar cheese, shredded
1 and 1/2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Directions
To prepare Sliced Baked Potatoes, first, peel the potatoes if the skin is tough or simply scrub them with a vegetable brush and rinse. Next, slice the potatoes all the way across using the handle of a wooden spoon behind the potato to prevent cutting it all the way through. Then, fan the potato slightly and place it in the baking dish. After that, sprinkle salt over them and drizzle melted butter on top. Additionally, sprinkle the herbs and bake for 50 minutes. Once the time is up, remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the cheese. Finally, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until they become brown and soft on the inside. Check the tenderness with a fork and ensure the cheese is melted. In conclusion, your delicious Sliced Baked Potatoes are now ready to be enjoyed!
Also try: https://myrecipebox.online/stuffed-baked-potatoes/
