Usable at daycare! Potato Quiz Challenge!

Something with an overall plump/rounded shape.

To pick delicious potatoes, choose ones that are plump overall. It’s also good to select those with smooth skin and no wrinkles or sprouts. Additionally, potatoes that feel firm and solid to the touch are fresh and tasty.

under the ground

Potatoes grow underground. Green leaves and stems appear above the ground, and the potatoes grow in the soil beneath them. When the soil is loose and fluffy, potatoes grow well. It’s said that the right time to harvest is when about 70–80% of the leaves have withered and turned yellow!

stem

The potatoes we usually enjoy eating are not the flowers or roots, but a part of the stem. What we call a potato is the enlarged tip of an underground stem that has stored nutrients like starch, and the part we eat is specifically known as a subterranean stem.

eggplant

Potatoes are vegetables from the nightshade family. Tomatoes, bell peppers, chili peppers, and shishito peppers are also considered members of this group. Pumpkins belong to the gourd family, along with cucumbers and watermelons, and carrots are in the parsley family, along with celery and parsley. It sounds fun to look into the families of other vegetables as well.

China

China has the largest potato production in the world. Thanks to its vast farmland and a climate that potatoes prefer, it can grow a great many potatoes. By the way, in Chinese, potatoes are written as 土豆 and pronounced “túdòu.” It might be interesting to look into what potatoes are called in other countries as well.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido accounts for about 80% of Japan’s total production. Potatoes are abundantly harvested in Hokkaido because its climate is ideal for them. With its cool temperatures and vast fields, Hokkaido provides excellent conditions for potatoes to thrive, and many well-known varieties have originated there.

Five characters

“Jagaimo” (potato) is five characters in hiragana. It is said that potatoes came from Jakarta, Indonesia, in the early 17th century. According to one theory, the phrase “imo that came from Jakarta” became “jagataraimo,” which then shortened to “jagaimo.”