The Potato Man

The French used to hate potatoes, but along came Antoine-Augustin Parmentier

Ben Kageyama
4 min readFeb 21, 2021
Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash

WWho doesn’t love a good batch of French fries? Well, if you offered them to the French back in the 18th century, you’d be met with disgust. It’s hard to imagine a time when potatoes weren’t a beloved staple in the Western world, but back in the day, they were reviled for numerous causes by Europeans.

Seen as no better than cattle feed and even a potential cause of leprosy, the French largely shunned potatoes. The French Parliament even went so far as to ban potatoes in 1748!

Life-saving spud

Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (c. 1750), by an unknown illustrator, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Enter French pharmacist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier's efforts, a man whose obsession over the potato was shaped by his experiences in the army. During the Seven Years’ War (1754–1763), he was captured by the Prussians — and one of his regular prison rations was a typical serving of potatoes.

The experience forever changed the way he looked at the humble spud. The whole time he had been fed potatoes, he did not catch the alleged infections from this carb-filled diet. Better still, he realized how delicious they were.

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Ben Kageyama
Ben Kageyama

Written by Ben Kageyama

Truth is stranger than fiction. I write about both. || benkageyamawrites@gmail.com

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