Existing comment:
Location: Potatoes: South American plant goes global:
Between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago, local people in South America's Andes Mountains bred a poisonous plant into edible potatoes. Thousands of kinds of potatoes still grow in the Andes, in different spots on the mountains -- whether high or low, sunny or shady -- have potatoes suited to that location. From this region, potatoes spread around the world, and many new varieties were especially adapted for their new growing conditions. Potatoes are now the world's fourth most important staple food crop. |