History
Did you know that the potato was domesticated around 10,000 years ago in southern Peru, and it was only brought to Europe by Spanish sailors in 1570? In the history of the American presidential residence, the White House, the year 1801 is recorded as the first year when presidents were served baked potatoes (Thomas Jefferson was the courageous one who ordered it). Potato blight was responsible for a million deaths from famine in Ireland in 1845, with a million people emigrating to the USA (Ireland, along with Serbia, is the only country with more residents abroad than at home). In 1995, the potato became the first food to also grow in space, and in 2008, the United Nations declared it the Year of the Potato.

Today, we consume 324,181,889 tons of potatoes every year, which is over 40 kilograms per Earthling.

Composition
100 grams of potato contains 200 calories and zero fat. Although potatoes seem ideal for weight loss (mostly made up of water and fiber), unfortunately, this is not the case. On the other hand, in 100 grams of potato, you can find 30% of the daily intake of vitamin C, 39% of the daily intake of vitamin B6. Potatoes help with headaches, muscle pain, high blood pressure, and even prevent the spread of metastases.

Cultivation
Surprisingly, the largest producer of potatoes is China, producing 73 million tons. India is second with 34 million tons, and Russia is third with 31 million tons. Following are Ukraine and the USA (both with 20 million), then four European countries: Germany (12), Poland (10), France (7), and the Netherlands (7).

Due to these data, consumption is also interesting. Belarus, ranking 10th with 7 million tons of annual production, is the top consumer, as the average Belarusian consumes 181 kilograms of potatoes per year. Kyrgyzstan ranks second with 143 kilograms per person, followed by Ukraine (136 kg). Russians are fourth with 131 kilograms, followed by Poland (131 kg) and the first African country Rwanda (125 kg). Among European countries, the English have the highest consumption, with an average of at least 102 kilograms of potatoes per year.

And where do Slovenians rank in potato consumption?

Slovenia produces 79,300 tons of potatoes per year, and consumes 143,900 tons, or approximately 72 kilograms per capita per year.

Did you know ...
If you haven't had enough of the numbers, here are a few more.

350,000 tons of potatoes, or just over a thousandth of the annual production, are used for industrially produced chips (of which a tenth is produced by Irish companies). Americans alone spend 6 billion dollars on chips each year. In addition, potatoes provide livelihoods for 60,000 workers in the USA and 80,000 in Europe.

The truth about potatoes
The fact that Slovenians are potato eaters is due to Maria Theresa, who literally imposed potatoes on Slovenia (several peasant uprisings are recorded) and thus (almost) eradicated hunger here a quarter of a millennium ago.

Today we know that 100 grams of potato is equivalent to a starch bomb as if you were eating a quarter cup of white sugar. Due to its composition, it is very close to refined starch and dangerously contributes to abdominal (!) obesity and accelerates degenerative diseases (such as type 2 diabetes).

And one more thing ... when 12,000 healthy individuals were surveyed at Harvard University, among other things, three foods were revealed to be the most responsible for today's generation of young people being overweight. These are:

• baked potatoes
  
• potatoes in any other form
  
• fruit juices and carbonated drinks.

So, is it healthy to eat potatoes?

The answer is simple: no.