The History of the Potato

2023.07.17

In this lesson, you are going to watch a video by Leo Bear-McGuiness about the history of the potato.

Level: intermediate
Keywords: potato, nutrition, European population, history

A) Before you watch

Match the images (a-i) with the relevant terms (1-9) listed below:

a. ......................................................................................

b. ..................................................................................... 

c. ..................................................................................... 

d. ......................................................................................

e. ...................................................................................... 

f. ..................................................................................... 

g. ......................................................................................

h. ..................................................................................... 

i. ...................................................................................... 

  1. baked potatoes
  2. boiled potatoes
  3. chips (US French fries)
  4. crisps (US chips)
  5. Hasselback potatoes
  6. mashed potato
  7. peeled potatoes
  8. raw potatoes
  9. roast potatoes

B) Watch for main idea

Watch the video and choose the statement that expresses the main idea:

  1. The potato became an important food soon after the Spanish sailors brought them to Europe from South America.
  2. The potato is an important food that shaped the history of Europe.
  3. A disease of potatoes led to a major famine in Ireland.

C) Vocabulary

Here is a list of words (1-10) in bold from the video you have watched. Match them with their synonyms (a-j).

1. staple (n.)
2. to cultivate sg (v.)
3. vital (adj.)
4. spud (n.)
5. dull (adj.)
6. deadly nightshade (n.)
7. to consume sg (v.)
8. inexpensive (adj.)
9. famine (n.)
10. to bring about sg (phr. v.) 

a. to grow sg
b. boring
c. extreme lack of food
d. basic food
e. cheap
f. extremely important
g. to cause sg.
h. belladonna
i. potato
j. to eat or drink sg

D) Watch for details

Watch the video again and answer the following questions: 

  1. When and where did the cultivation of potatoes begin?
  2. Who introduced the potato to Europe?
  3. In the beginning, how were potatoes used in Europe? Why?
  4. By the 18th century, what happened to the population of Europe thanks to the potato?
  5. What happened to the population of Ireland between 1845 and 1852? Why?
  6. How did the potato contribute to the Industrial Revolution?

E) After you watch

Think about these questions for a minute and answer them:

  • How often do you eat potatoes? In what form?
  • Why do you think the potato is still so popular?
  • Can you mention some dishes that are made of potatoes (other than the ones in exercise A)?
  • What other crops can you mention that are used as dietary staples? In which parts of the world are they mainly consumed?

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