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Ireland's
Great Famine in the mid-19th century led to the demise of farms,
starvation, and many Irish emigrating to other countries. The most
common potato affected was the Lumper, a popular potato at the time
because it would grow in poor soil. It had all but disappeared until
recently, when farmer Michael McKillop grew some heirloom seeds to
resurrect the Lumper.
As its name implies, this potato
is not especially beautiful. It’s large, knobby, and, well, lumpy, with
pale brown skin and yellow flesh. Still, it was widely grown in Ireland
before the famine because it did well in poor soil and could feed a lot
of mouths.
According to University College Dublin’s Cormac
O’Grada, an expert on the history of famines, the blight (Phytophtora
infestans) destroyed about one-third of Ireland’s potato crop in 1845
and almost all of it in 1846. Because so many people were poor and
relied on potatoes for sustenance, the blight had catastrophic
consequences, including food riots and mass death from starvation.
Spuds
are faring much better today thanks to modern farming techniques and
technology, although potato blight is still an ongoing concern for Irish
farmers.
Killop wants to bring back the Lumper for
historic purposes, not to produce on a large scale. They don't taste as
good as more modern potatoes. Irish potato farmers today generally grow
newer varieties of potatoes for better quality and disease resistance.
The news article includes a recipe for potato gratin, calling for russet
potatoes.
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