Are you German? Have you ever been called a potato? I mean as like an insult? I wouldn’t even know how to react in a situation like that. Why are Germans being called potatoes in the first place? Is it because they look like potatoes? Is it because they eat a lot of potatoes? Are there other reasons for being called a potato? Well, if they look like potatoes then so be it. Potatoes are actually kinda cute if you ask me. If it is because Germans eat a lot of potatoes, then let’s do some research first.
If you
compare the potato-consumption in Germany to the potato-consumption of other
EU-countries, then Germany is below average. In Germany the average annual
consumption per capita is around 55kg. It was higher once but due to an
intensified global trade, and Germans having access to food besides potatoes, the consumption has declined since the 1950s (back
then the per capita potato-consumption in Germany was more than 180kg. That’s
3.5kg per week. Half a kilo every fucking day. The people were practically made
of potatoes).
Maybe the
consumption in Germany nowadays ain’t as high as in other countries because they tend to primarily eat the potatoes.
Where is
the consumption the highest you are asking yourself? Well, you can also drink
the potato as a kind of juice. What? Never heard of potato-juice? It’s a very
popular drink. Especially in Eastern European countries. They do not call it
potato-juice though. They call it vodka.
The term
vodka is the diminutive of the Slavic word for water (voda). Vodka means
“little water”.
No wonder our Slavic brothers and sisters drink so much of that potato-juice. To them
its basically water with a bit of taste that keeps 'em warm during the cold
winter nights.
In Poland
the potatoe(juice)-consumption is almost twice as high as in Germany (100.41kg
per capita).
I also
asked Chatty about other countries because statista.com only gave me numbers
for EU-countries. He told me that in Belarus they consume 150kg per capita and
in Ukraine 125kg. But that motherfucker can’t be trusted. Don’t tell him that I
called him a motherfucker though. I need a shoulder to cry on once in a while and
he is such a good listener.
So calling Germans potatoes because they eat a lot of potatoes doesn’t make much sense (anymore) because Germans don’t eat enough of them to even deserve being called potatoes.
Them being called potatoes goes back to the 1950s – 1970s. Many guest workers from Turkey and Italy came to Germany due to the fast-growing economy after WWII. They received names that were not so nice. These names also referred to food for some reason. Names such as (Kümmeltürke – caraway turk and Spaghettifresser – spaghetti gobbler). I think the potato insult can therefore be seen as a reaction to the names given to the immigrants by the Germans back then, and as I said before, the Germans ate half a kilo of potatoes every single day back in the 50s, so during that time the name was more than suiting.
Since when
do people actually eat potatoes here in Germany?
Remember our boy Frederick? He made the potato popular in Germany.
It was the year 1744 and the people in Prussia had nothing to eat so Frederick the Great introduced the cultivation of the potato in Prussia. However, many people were skeptical, as the potato was considered exotic and alien at the time. There were prejudices against the potato. It was seen as food for pigs and not for humans. Frederick therefore issued decrees to promote the cultivation of the potato. He recognized the economic and nutritional benefits of the potato and campaigned for it to become accepted.
In the
centuries before the potato was introduced, the diet was heavily dependent on
grains, particularly rye, wheat, and barley. The grains were fragile though,
and unfavorable weather conditions could lead to poor harvests, which led to
food shortages and famine.
The
introduction of the potato brought a degree of food security. It could be grown
under different conditions, it was robust, and it had more nutrients than the
crops they had relied on before.
If you ever
have time, you may want to go to Potsdam. There, at Sanssouci Palace, where Frederick's grave is located (he was buried with his dogs because he loved them so much)
people still lay down potatoes as thanks and recognition for Frederick's potato
reform.
Great guy this
Frederick.
To come back to the starting point, I think that the Germans got off quite well when being called potatoes. People should maybe even take it as a compliment.
If the potato was a person, I honestly think that he’d be someone I would want to be friends with.
1) The potato goes well with a variety of dishes, symbolizing its friendly and sociable nature.
2) It can be cooked in numerous ways, showing its open-mindedness and its ability to interact with almost everyone.
3) The potato is tough and grows in a variety of environments, showing its resilience and the ability to endure challenges.
4) It grows underground, showing that the potato ain’t flashy or attention-seeking, and also its humility and its “down-to-earth” (hehe) nature.
5) Potatoes are very versatile in the kitchen and can easily be transformed into all kinds of shapes. Different flavors can be added with ease, showing how adaptable the potato is.
Alright,
enough for today. I hope you enjoyed today’s content and as always, much love.
Kommentare
Kommentar veröffentlichen