Peru's Potato Passion

[malaise]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7231148.stm
<snip>
At harvest time in the highland village of Paucho, the first crop of potatoes are baked in a hole in the ground covered with hot rocks, in a ceremony called Watia - a homage to Pacha Mama, or Mother Earth.

For thousands of years, the potato has been the staple diet of the people of the Andes.

But internationally high food prices, especially wheat - 80% of which is imported in Peru - are causing hardship for the country's poor, who make up almost half the population.

Peru's agriculture minister, Ismael Benavides, says the native potato is the answer.

The government is trying to boost its consumption by encouraging more people to eat bread baked with potato flour, starting with schoolchildren and prisoners.
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Seriously is there anything nicer than baked 'new potatoes'?

I spent a few weeks in Denmark in June one year and was amazed at their love for new potatoes. In Zealand farmers would leave bags of them on stalls at the side of roads and people stopped, picked up what they wanted and left the money. I never saw anyone manning these stalls.

Start planting potatoes DUers - great food in a depression.
We're lucky as new potatoes are available ten months out of twelve.

[screembloodymurder]

1. I'm going to throw a Watia.

Sounds like fun. Think Dan Quail will come?

[malaise]

2. I doubt it

He has spelling lessons that day :rofl: