Potatoes: Once an Unpopular Vegetable
Potatoes Come to Europe
Thousands of years ago, potatoes were first grown by people in the ____ mountains region.
When Spanish people took over this ____ in the 16th century, they first learned about potatoes.
They ____ them to Europe because they were a good food source.
However, potatoes were not ____ at first.
People ____ not try to grow and eat them because they looked strange.
They also thought ____ brought diseases, so they gave them to pigs.
The Potato King
A great food ____ happened in Prussia in 1744.
People ____ not have enough food to eat.
Frederick the Great wanted his ____ to grow and eat potatoes.
He planted a large ____ of potatoes, but nobody was interested.
The king did ____ give up, and he came up with an idea.
He named potatoes a royal vegetable and ordered his soldiers to ____ the potato field.
This made people curious, and some even tried to steal ____ at night.
____, more and more people started to grow and eat potatoes.
Potato Flowers, a Royal Fashion
When potatoes were first introduced in France, ____ people did not like them as well.
Because France also had food shortages, one government official told King Louis XVI about the successful ____ in Prussia.
He ____ the king to wear potato flowers on his jacket.
The king took his advice, and the queen also wore ____ in her hair.
People ____ to follow this royal fashion.
As a result, people began to like potatoes and started to grow and ____ them.
____ to such efforts, potatoes were finally accepted in Europe and began to spread worldwide.
They have now become one of the ____ popular vegetables in the world.