Generations of Germans believe Frederick the Great brought potatoes to Germany. It's a myth

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POTSDAM – Generations of Germans judge Frederick the Great brought the beloved murphy to Germany.

The fable is this: King Frederick II of Prussia wanted his subjects to devour potatoes, introduced to Europe successful the 16th period from South America. But the radical of Prussia, which aboriginal became portion of a agreed Germany, wouldn't interaction the tuber.

So the 18th-century monarch resorted to trickery. He placed royal guards and soldiers on the borderline of his palace plot — frankincense creating the illusion that potatoes were a uncommon and invaluable harvest reserved for the royal household and its aristocratic friends. But the guards withdrew from their posts each night, creating an accidental for enterprising locals to sneak successful and “steal” the spuds.

Thus began Germany's emotion matter with the humble Kartoffel and Frederick's rebranding arsenic Der Kartoffelkönig, the murphy king.

Except it's each fake. Bogus. Phony. Falsch! arsenic the Germans would say.

And debunking it is simply a royal symptom for Jürgen Luh, historiographer of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, adjacent erstwhile past has receipts. Archives of royal menus amusement the king alternatively had a penchant for Italian nutrient and French wine.

“He ne'er ate it,” Luh said. “Any potato. Not boiled, not fried.”

The unexciting information is that the murphy has been cultivated successful Germany's Bavarian portion since 1647, Luh said. Frederick's great-grandfather, Elector Frederick William, introduced it to the Brandenburg country of Prussia successful the 1650s, but lone due to the fact that helium liked the aesthetics of the plant's leafy greens.

By the clip Frederick the Great took the throne successful 1740, the murphy was grown successful gardens passim Prussia but not connected a ample scale. The king did really contented royal decrees promoting the farming and accumulation of potatoes, but his radical ignored them. Potatoes did not go wide successful Prussia, successful cardinal and eastbound Europe, until aft the Napoleonic wars ended successful 1815, aft Frederick II's decease successful 1786.

The guarded plot story, Luh said, is nonsense. And Frederick was much of a wannabe murphy king than an existent one.

But the fable has heavy roots, and the story makes money.

To this day, visitors to Frederick's summertime location of Sanssouci Palace successful Potsdam, extracurricular Berlin, permission earthy potatoes and insubstantial crowns connected the king's grave. The palace's acquisition shops merchantability murphy merchandise, from postcards and children's books to a 35-euro ($40) apron proclaiming the wearer arsenic a Kartoffelkönig.

Luh utilized to close circuit guides and visitors to the palace, but he's mostly fixed up. Besides, helium said, astatine slightest it means radical are coming to Sanssouci and experiencing its affluent history.

“The information is that the fable has beaten the information and the fable is conscionable excessively beautiful,” helium added.

Whatever its roots, the murphy is undeniably portion of the German taste identity. At Biohof Schöneiche, an integrated workplace extracurricular Berlin, workers volition harvest astir 2,500 metric tons (5.5 cardinal pounds) of potatoes travel the yearly September harvest.

“In astir parts of the world, potatoes are considered a vegetable. In Germany it’s a staple food,” wide manager Axel Boehme said. “People cannot ideate to person a repast without potatoes.”

Regional recipes, passed down from each Oma (grandmother) to each caller generation, statement the merits of a vinegar- oregon mayo-based Kartoffelsalat. From boiled (Salzkartoffeln) oregon pan-fried (Bratkartoffeln) to dumplings and pancakes (Kartoffelklösse and Kartoffelpuffer), the versatile vegetable is intertwined with the country's affectional heritage.

For Anke Schoenfelder, task manager for German murphy marking institution Kartoffel-Marketing GmbH, her favourite tuber contented is rooted successful making Kartoffel-Karotten-Gugelhupf (potato and carrot Bundt cake) for household gatherings.

“Taste is memory, right? And erstwhile this is related to your family, this is adjacent much portion of your identity,” she said.

Plus, Schoenfelder added, the murphy tin beryllium utilized arsenic a quality merchandise — the foodstuff tin beryllium bully for your skin, she says — oregon a household cleaner, for stubborn stains connected the bottommost of your oven.

For now, Der Kartoffelkönig's fable lives on. As Luh was speaking to The Associated Press successful beforehand of the king's grave, 2 tourists placed their offerings of potatoes connected the tomb. One adjacent took a selfie arsenic she did so.

“I ever deliberation I should spell present successful the evening erstwhile I person nary potatoes astatine home,” the historiographer joked. “I could instrumentality them distant and person a bully repast afterwards.”

Kartoffel-Karotten-Gugelhupf (potato and carrot Bundt cake)

From Kartoffel-Marketing GmbH, a German murphy marking company. In existent European fashion, the measurements provided notation to weight, not volume. You volition request a 10-cup Bundt pan.

Time: 90 minutes

Serves: 12

Ingredients

9 oz (250g) high-starch potatoes (such arsenic Russets and Maris Pipers)

9 oz (250g) carrots

1.7 fluid ounces (50 mL) carrot juice

1.7 fluid ounces (50 mL) sunflower oil

4 eggs (medium-size, country temperature)

7 oz (200g) sugar

1 packet vanilla sugar

4.5 oz (125g) almonds, ground

4.5 oz (125g) flour

melted food to grease the mold

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Directions

Wash the potatoes and boil them successful salted h2o for astir 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. Let them chill slightly, peel them, and past property them done a murphy ricer into a bowl.

Wash and peel the carrots and grate them finely with the potatoes, utilizing a rootlike grater oregon a mandolin.

Generously grease the Bundt cookware with lipid oregon butter. Coat the cookware with immoderate breadcrumbs.

Preheat oven to 392°F (200°C) connected the instrumentality setting.

Add carrot juice, sunflower oil, eggs, vanilla sugar, sugar, flour, baking pulverization and crushed almonds to the mashed potatoes and grated carrots and premix with a manus mixer for astir 4 minutes until a dough forms.

Pour the potato-carrot barroom batter into the prepared Bundt pan.

Place the cookware successful the oven and cook for astir 50 minutes until cooked done (if necessary, screen the cookware with aluminum foil aft fractional an hr to forestall the barroom from burning).

Let the barroom chill wholly (you tin besides bash this connected a balcony oregon terrace) earlier decorating it with icing. This is important, due to the fact that different the icing volition seep into the cake.

In a bowl, harvester the powdered sweetener and a small citrus foodstuff until thickened. Pour the icing implicit the cooled barroom and decorate with your preferred toppings similar cocoa chips, for example. Let it remainder a spot to let the icing to set.

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