Potato Book Review

Title: Potato


Author: Rebecca Earle

Genre: Nonfiction, Object Lesson, Essay, History, Food,

Plot: Potatoes are one of the four biggest global crops and make up the base for a lot of America's favorite foods. Mashed potatoes at Grandma's for the holidays, French fries smothered in ketchup or lightly salted on a summer's evening, Aunt June's famous potato salad with a hint of bacon, a perfectly baked potato with a dollop of sour cream or scalloped potatoes dripping in butter. Potatoes are the starchy goodness that make up the bulk of our favorite comfort foods. But they are more than that. There are red potatoes, gold potatoes, white potatoes, purple potatoes, black potatoes, finger potatoes and sweet potatoes all with their own unique tastes, textures and flavors. Some are great for boiling while others do better baked.

We know how Ireland has a long history with potatoes but some of us might not know that potatoes originated in South and Central America. They were the food of the Incas till the Americas were discovered and potatoes sailed across the sea. The varieties of potatoes grown by the ancient Incas are mind-boggling and all of them sound delicious.

Likes/Dislikes: I love potatoes. I love growing them and eating them and reading about them. An object lesson on them was surprising and not necessarily something I have ever read before or would likely pick up. But since I like potatoes, I gave it a shot and really enjoyed it. I have a short attention span however so I had to read it in chunks but that's okay, it gives me a good break from everything else going on in my reading life. I did really want more recipes though.

Rating: G-all ages, 14 and up mainly for reading level.

Date Review Written: February 19th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.