Potato turns over a new leaf to become a staple food, saving humanity depends on the potato

 Yesterday, news from the Ministry of Agriculture said that China will strongly promote the strategy of making potatoes a staple food, processing potatoes into steamed buns, noodles, rice noodles and other staple foods that Chinese people love to eat, and the potato will also become the fourth major staple crop after rice, wheat and corn. It is expected that by 2020, more than 50% of potatoes will be consumed as a staple food. Some experts also say that only the potato can save humanity.

Mr. Potato has turned over a new leaf, causing quite a celebration among netizens online. Hot and sour shredded potato, stir-fried potato slices, delicious mashed potato, stir-fried, quick-fried, stewed, flash-fried, boiled - how do you want to eat potatoes from now on?

Good news for food lovers 

Don't treat the potato as anything but a staple food 

The potato will join the ranks of staple foods 

Yesterday, according to the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the National Food and Nutrition Advisory Committee, and the China Seed Association held a seminar on the development strategy of making potatoes a staple food. The meeting proposed the strategy of making potatoes a staple food, that is, processing potatoes into steamed buns, noodles, rice noodles and other staple food products suited to Chinese consumption habits, realizing the transformation of potatoes from a side dish to a staple food, from raw material products to industrialized series of finished products, and from subsistence consumption to nutritious and healthy consumption, serving as a supplement to China's three major staple foods and gradually becoming the fourth major staple crop. Media attending the meeting reported that the potato planting area will gradually expand to 150 million mu, and it is expected that by 2020, more than 50% of China's potatoes will be consumed as a staple food.

According to a CCTV report, compared with wheat, corn and rice, whole potato flour can be stored longer, up to more than 15 years at room temperature, and some countries list whole potato flour as a strategic reserve grain. Many experts believe that with the rapid increase in global population, "when a food crisis occurs in the future world, only the potato can save humanity."

It is understood that European and other Western countries long ago treated the potato as a staple food, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has long listed wheat, corn, rice and potatoes as the four major staple foods. Wan Hua (pseudonym), who once studied in the UK, said that in British supermarkets, vegetables are few and limited in variety, with all green vegetables together taking up only a few shelves, but potatoes are plentiful, with at least a dozen varieties, "the British truly love potatoes!" She said that when "A Bite of China 2" was popular, the British public also made "A Bite of Britain" in imitation, and the potato was the only star.

Experts' views 

Nanjing residents eat more than 3 jin of potatoes per person per month 

"People are surprised to hear that potatoes are becoming a staple food, but in fact in China's Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu and other regions, potatoes are already a staple food." Zang Guocheng, a senior horticulturist at the Nanjing Municipal Agriculture Commission, said that places such as Gansu and Inner Mongolia all eat potato flour.

Zang Guocheng said that at present China's staple foods are mainly wheat, rice and so on, and the potato planting area has also expanded in recent years, so in the future it can completely serve as a staple food. He said that much of the potato in the northwest region is now processed into starch for export, potato starch has very high nutritional value, and some varieties, after being processed into whole flour, can completely serve as a staple food, for example, processed into steamed buns, noodles, pastries and so on, all without problem.

"People in the south are still used to treating rice as their staple food and may not be quite used to potatoes as a staple food, while in the vast north where people like to eat flour, potatoes can completely serve as a staple food, and whole potato flour is even more nutritious than wheat flour." Zang Guocheng said that many restaurants in Nanjing also make potato-based staple foods, basically by adding whole potato flour, and the staple foods made this way all taste good. He also pointed out that Nanjing residents consume a considerable amount of potatoes, estimated at more than 3 jin per person per month.

It is understood that Nanjing once introduced potato varieties from the northeast for planting, but potatoes are relatively high in price, mainly used for cooking, and coupled with factors such as soil not being quite suitable, yields not being very high, and easy susceptibility to viruses, so large-scale planting is not possible. Even so, he believes that making potatoes a staple food is the future development trend, and to solve the food problem, China will rely more on potatoes and wheat.

The all-purpose potato 

Delicious and nutritious without making you fat, rich in nutrients 

There is a saying among Chinese people that "you don't treat a potato as a staple food." In fact, the potato is very rich in nutritional value, and abroad it is called the underground apple and the second bread. The potato contains almost all the nutrients found in grains, vegetables and fruits. The new dietary guidelines recommend that each person should eat potatoes about 5 times a week, with each intake of 50 grams to 100 grams.

Not easy to gain weight 

Many young women who love beauty care about their figure. If potatoes are made a staple food, will they make you fat? Experts say that in fact the carbohydrates in potatoes are not higher than in other traditional grain crops, and as long as you eat fewer fried potato products, the body will not accumulate too much fat, so making potatoes a staple food does not easily make you fat.

High yield 

Zang Guocheng, a senior horticulturist at the Nanjing Municipal Agriculture Commission, said that potatoes are rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine and so on, containing almost all the nutrients found in grains, fruits and vegetables, and the potato's yield per unit is extremely high, reaching ten thousand jin per mu, making it an ideal staple food to replace rice and flour.

Easy to store 

Compared with wheat, corn and rice, whole potato flour can be stored longer, up to more than 15 years at room temperature, and some countries list whole potato flour as a strategic reserve grain.

Good taste, many ways to eat it 

There are many ways to eat potatoes, and the taste is very good too. There are potato slices, shredded potato, mashed potato, hot and sour, flash-fried, vinegar-glazed... Potatoes can also be processed into potato flour, and can be made into steamed buns, flower rolls, dumplings, noodles, pancakes, bread, cakes, pastries, as well as mashed potato, potato porridge and so on.