Monthly Archives: April 2014
344.WHERE DID THE PEANUT ORIGINATE?
In a certain part of Peru, a group of prehistoric graves were found. As the scientists dug about in these graves, they found peanuts that were thousands of years old! Not only that, but there was pottery that was decorated with peanut designs.
So it is believed that the original home of the peanut was South America and from there it was transplanted to Africa, and eventually to the United States. Today the peanut is also raised in Latin America and Asia. In the United States alone, more than 450,000,000 kilograms of peanuts are raised a year. The yield of over 400,000 hectares of peanuts is fed directly to hogs.
343.WHERE DID THE GRAPEFRUIT ORIGINATE?
On millions of breakfast tables every morning the grapefruit appears as a favorite dish. You would imagine that we would know act about a fruit as common as this. Yet the origin of the grapefruit is somewhat Of a mystery!
There is a fruit known as the pummelo, or shamrock, which is a bit smaller than the grapefruit. Some scientists believe that the grapefruit originated from the pummels as a mutation, which means a variation of the original species. As far back as 1814, a scientist observed a variety of the pummelo which he described as “known by the name of ‘grapefruit’ on account of its resemblance in flavor to the grape.”
342.WHERE DID POTATOS ORIGINATE?
When you think of the potato, you think of Ireland. There’s a good reason for that. The potato played a very important part in Irish history. More than a hundred years ago the people of Ireland depended upon the potato crop for most of their food. Then, in 1846, the potato blight destroyed that whole year’s crop. More than 600,000 people died of famine!
But the familiar Irish potato did not originate in Ireland. It is a native of the highlands of Ecuador and Peru. Even today it can be found there growing wild. When the Spaniards came to Peru they found the potato and brought it back with them to Spain early in the sixteenth century. From Spain it spread all over Europe and became very popular with the people.
