Re- SC - medieval "spam"?

[Stephanie Rudin]

Potatoes were a New World food - cultivated in South America.  Go to Peru,
and you will find all types of potatoes - including various shades of blue,
purple and lavender, with the flesh being white, yellow, blue or even
striped.
Potatoes were not readily accepted in Europe, as it was thought to be
poisonous since it is part of the nightshade family (along with eggplant and
tomatoes).  In fact, the green parts should be cut off, as it contains an
excess amount of solanine which is a poisonous alkaloid formerly used to
treat epilepsy.
It was grown to some extent in private gardens in the 16th century, but not
really eaten on a widespread scale until probably the late 1700's.
Audrey, the lurker
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