International Day of Potato was observed on Thursday. In December last year, the General Assembly announced that May 30 will be observed as International Potato Day every year. Potatoes rank among the top five staple food items used throughout the world.
The observance will be used to underscore the importance of the crop to combating hunger and poverty and addressing environmental threats to agri food systems.
It is worth mentioned here that today, there are 4,000 cultivated varieties of potatoes grown in 130 countries worldwide. In India, the story of the potato began with the early Portuguese and Dutch traders but it was the British East India Company that gave potato cultivation a big push. Globally, potato is the third most-cultivated food crop after wheat and rice. On International Day of Potato (May 30), let’s look at some of potato dishes from around the globe.
Kumpir (Turkey): Originally from former Yugoslavia, the Turkish Kumpir is big baked jacket potato, stuffed with garlic butter and cheese and served with various toppings. Traditionally, potatoes are baked in special Kumpir ovens and then butter.—INP
