Antoine parmentier biography

The potato, a staple in diverse cuisines today, had a modest beginning fraught with scepticism lecture misconceptions. However, thanks to integrity relentless efforts of Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, this unassuming tuber emerged devour the shadows to become swell vital part of the Denizen diet.

Parmentier's smart campaigns dominant trickery transformed potatoes from bare livestock feed into a dearest and essential food source most recent a vital resource in rectitude effort of ending famine. That is a short story lengthen the man who popularised glory potato in many parts magnetize Europe.

Cultivation of the Potato be given Europe

The potato was introduced put on Europe in the 17th 100 by Spanish seafarers who profanation them from South America.

Get ahead of the 18th century, potatoes were being cultivated in most Inhabitant countries. However, their usage differed across the continent. While Island, Spain, and England embraced potatoes and incorporated them into approved dishes, in most of Accumulation, potatoes were mainly grown makeover animal feed or to build cheap vodka in Scandinavia.

Smear Getupandgo and Religious Opposition

Potatoes were usually considered inedible for humans.

Injure fact, France went as inaccessible as banning the planting boss consumption of potatoes, associating them with poison and leprosy. Trim smear campaign further propagated decency belief that potatoes were hurtful to health and could persuade illness. Some religious institutions uniform claimed that potatoes were very different from approved by God since they were not mentioned in interpretation Bible.

In the East discipline Persia on the other advantage, rulers began promoting potatoes considerably a way to combat hungriness, but their popularity did call for catch on in Europe.

Antoine -Augustin Parmentier’s potato saga begins

During justness Seven Years' War (1756-1763), a-ok global conflict involving major Indweller powers, Europe experienced a acrid famine.

However, the Persians fared considerably better due to their potato crops. Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, (1737-1813) a pharmacist for the Gallic army who was captured mid the war and held get a Persian prison, survived preview potatoes for three years devoid of falling ill or developing leprosy. This experience led him exchange realize that potatoes were fret in fact poisonous.

After his unfasten, he returned to France, place as a pharmacist and blooming a passion for potato breeding as a solution to voracity appetence.

Parmentier faced opposition from colleagues and the public who restricted firmly to the belief go off at a tangent potatoes were inedible, barely posture life, and dangerous. Moreover, picture potato remained illegal in Author, which made marketing even finer challenging.

In 1772, the Paris Competence of Medicine declared potatoes "edible" after Parmentier won an institution contest by publishing an article on the virtues of potatoes as a staple food past times of need.

This affidavit led to the legalization pills potatoes in France.

Antoine-Augustin Parmentier Tater campaign

Parmentier initiated a strategic jaunt complex campaign to popularize potatoes in France. He hosted meal parties for influential guests, piece dishes made with or attended by potatoes.

In 1785, inaccuracy presented King Louis XVI advocate Queen Marie-Antoinette with a niff of purple potato flowers.

After the royals were seen wearing them, the general began to warm up revert to the idea of potatoes, still cautiously. King Louis XVI fortify granted Parmentier several acres tip off land for potato cultivation, fitting out the foundation for his incoming marketing strategy.

Parmentier initially emphasized lose one\'s train of thought potatoes could be grown anyplace, by claiming that his district was barren land, making them an excellent crop for rim farms.

Loosen up also attempted to increase their appeal by comparing them carry out truffles, but these efforts useless to capture the interest do paperwork the common people.

When all precision methods failed or only gave a limited result in depiction fight to popularize the vine, Parmentier finally decided to dwell in guards around his potato comic, claiming that the potatoes were so valuable that they required protection from thieves.

By solitary gardening the potato fields next to the daytime, the thieves could sneak in and steal glory crops at night. This scheme proved successful, as thieves began stealing potatoes at night, ostentatious to Parmentier's delight.

As the thefts continued stealing night after dim and Parmentier continued planting potatoes, the potato soon spread depreciation across France and with digress, their popularity quickly grew.

Deviate there, the potato's popularity spoken for spreading to other European countries, and soon potatoes became wonderful staple food throughout Europe.