Role of Potatoes in America during the War - Essay Example

?Farming: Potatoes’ Role in America during the War Potatoes have been central to almost every kind of culture. In America, it is currently being favoured in a number of food shops. From humble cafes to five-star-restaurants, this kind of crop has been popular. How about in history? Did this tuber have an impact on major occurrences in the past? This paper delves into the significance of potatoes on Americans throughout historical war fares. Potato originated from the Spanish word, “patata”. It has been one of Spain’s popular crops since the late 1500’s (Romans 8). This word is a combination of “Taino batata” which stands for the sweet potato and the “Quecha papa” which is the actual potato. Reportedly, it was first cultivated in Peru and Bolivia (Spooner, McLean, Ramsay, Waugh, and Bryan 14694). It is a tuber that usually grows up to about 24 inches or 60 centimetres. Like other tubers, potatoes’ formations are dependent on daylight hours (Amador, Bou, Martinez-Garcia, Monte, Rodriguea-Falcon, Russo, and Prat 38). However, this tendency has been controlled in several varieties. As stated by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization in 2005, potato is the world’s fourth-largest agricultural yield. It is following other staple crops such as wheat, rice, and corn. In fact, the common individual eats up to 33 kilograms or 73 pounds of this root vegetable each year. Aside from food, potato can also be used in other ways. It has otherwise been employed in different merchandises such as alcoholic beverages, adhesives, and even ointments. Regarding potatoes’ role in history, potatoes were one of the crops used to help keep soldiers fed during the American Civil War. Logistics showed that the different armies strived to have enough nutrition. This is depicted in the documentary film, The Civil War which was created by Ken Burns in 1990. The vegetable was usually served in small compressed cubes. Potatoes were particularly helpful in those rations since other kinds of food such as rice were frequently infested. This information is backed up by the history of rations prepared by the Quartermaster School of the United States Army Quartermaster Foundation. The notes show that a part of the civil war rations by congressional acts in 1860 and 1861 have included potatoes. The record stated that 7 ounces of potatoes per soldier was proportioned. The potato ration was then increased in the Spanish American war. Additionally, a memoir of a soldier documented some of their usual nourishment. “Each battalion has its own galley, but chow on Pavuvu consisted mainly of heated C rations: dehydrated eggs, dehydrated potatoes, and that detestable canned meant called Spam” (Manchester 260). To make rations last longer, the usual perishable goods were preserved often through dehydration. Another anecdote is from Private Walter Carter, 22nd Massachusetts Regiment. He wrote from near Washington in September 1862, “This morning I went foraging, and got corn, potatoes, cabbages, beets, etc. to make a grand boiled dinner. It was a great treat, after living so long on nothing; it tasted like home. It is fun to see the boys roasting corn and potatoes, frying meat and making coffee. I can cook almost anything now in a rude way” (161). From the aforementioned statements, it is clear that the soldiers lived on potatoes among other kinds of food. Relatedly, potato is one of the central harvests that were maximized in World War I. The government produced pamphlets such as “Without Wheat”, “Sweets without Sugar”, and “Potato Possibilities”. These propagandas aimed to conserve resources for those fighting in the battle fields. The pamphlets were issued by the Federal Board of New York and supported by the United States Food Administration. The four-paged-pamphlet introduced potato as a “staff of life”, the introductions were written as: “It furnishes fuel for the body. It gives mineral salts which help to keep the blood in good condition. It is easily digested. It is a good food all the time- but it is an especially good war time food for Americans” (1). The pamphlet furthered that the maximization of potato as a main ingredient at home can help troops in different locations. Several recipes were encouraged such as potato corn bread, potato corn meal rolls, potato spoon bread, stuffed potatoes, and baked chocolate potato pudding. A total of 28 recipes were printed to be used extensively. The suggested meals were unusual as compared to the conventional ways during that time. Initiated by President Herbert Hoover, the information dissemination was also done through repetitive demonstrations in distinctive places. Immigrants who did not master the English language were also addressed since the ingredients and instructions were translated to their mother tongue. Furthermore, potato has something to do with the infamous Pig War (Woodbury). It is about how a certain pig could have altered American chronicles. The strange conflict happened in Washington State. The specific location is now known as the San Juan Islands. Due to unclear boundaries, the case implicated troops and even warships from both America and Great Britain. In June 15, 1859, an American farmer named Lyman Cutlar shot and killed a pig owned by an Englishman named Charles Griffin. Purportedly, Griffin shot the pig because it was eating his precious potato crops. It was not the first time that this happened. Griffin had already been repeatedly warned before. However, he sarcastically commented that it should be up to Cutlar to keep his potatoes away from the pig. Afterwards, Griffin called British authorities to arrest Cutlar. On the other hand, the American asked for assistance from the 9th infantry. In response, Captain Hornby generously deployed three British warships. The militaries from the two powerful countries increased after some time. After several months, General Scott of the American army was dispatched to scrutinize and hold back the animosity. Though he was successful at making the two parties agree on holding their guns at bay, token forces were still in place. As a result, the American and British camps were established. These camps are still being employed up to this day. However, they are now functioning as popular historical sites. The pig war eventually ended when the San Juan Islands were declared to be a part of the American soil. Finally, the British forces left. This narration signifies how Americans have valued potatoes. When this happened, the demands for potatoes were very much immense. During the 1850’s, potato crops in Europe crashed due to fungal and pest infestations. Hence, sources from other parts of the world were capitalized on. Though the encounter is dubbed as the “pig” war, it may as well be called the “potato” war since it was also caused by an American farmer’s appeal to protect his precious spuds. The abovementioned historical events suggest that food is an essential component of every society’s social process. Perceptibly, potatoes are in demand in most households because of its adaptability to other kinds of dishes. Moreover, it can be either eaten alone or with another ingredient. It can also be versatile when it comes to cooking styles. It may be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed, or baked. Particularly for well-liked and expedient vegetables such as the potato, crops can be powerful enough to start and end wars. Since one of the most basic human needs is food, it can indeed drive nations to accomplish certain feats. Potatoes were employed to support military operations. They were also a trigger for warships to be launched. Therefore, potatoes have been in one way or the other aiding in shaping the great land of America. Works Cited Amador, Virginia, Bou, Jordi, Martinez-Garcia, Jaime, Monte, Elena, Rodriguea-Falcon, Mariana, Russo, Esther, and Prat, Salome. “Regulation of Potato Tuberization by Daylength and Gibberellins.” International Journal of Developmental Biology. 45(2001): 37-38. Print. Manchester, William. Goodbye darkness. Boston: Dell, 1979. Print. Carter, Walter. 22nd Massachusetts Regiment. Washington. 1862. Print. Romans, Alan. The potato book. London: Frances Lincoln Limited, 2005. Print. Spooner, David, Mclean, Karen, Ramsay, Gavin, Waugh, Robbie, and Bryan, Glenn. “ A Single Domestication for Potato Based on Multilocus Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Genotyping.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States of America. 41 (2005): 14694-14699. Print. United States. Food Administration. New York: Federal Food Board, 1917. Print. United States. Quartermaster School of the United States Army. Rations. Virginia: Quartermaster Foundation, 1949. Print. The Civil War. Dir. Ken Burns. Documentaries Inc., 1990. Film United Nations. Food and Agricultural Organization. International Year of the Potato. Italy: Food and Agricultural Organization ,2009. Print. Woodbury, Chuck. How one pig could have changed American history. 2000. Out West.Web. 1 Nov. 2012. Read More