They say: “simple as a potato.” However, not every potato is as simple as it is believed. If you think that tubers of the most common vegetable can be inside only light shades (from white to light yellow), you are behind the times. Today, any gardener can have colorful versions of this representative of the Solanaceae family.
For those who have not yet acquired an exotic novelty, we tell you about purple potatoes: why it is like this, what its benefits are, as well as about varieties and their features.
Purple potatoes are non—GMO
To begin with, you need to immediately learn: potatoes with pulp of exotic colors are not GMO. He became famous and popular long before genetic engineers learned how to make something new – unknown to Nature.
They say Alexandre Dumas (the same French writer who wrote The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and also the Great Culinary Dictionary) back in the century before last, he believed that “the best of all (potato varieties) is undoubtedly purple, known in Paris as ‘Vitelotte'”. In the homeland of potatoes, in Peru, among the wild varieties there are representatives with colored tubers.
Modern potato varieties with blue-purple pulp were bred by breeders by crossing cultural and Peruvian wild representatives.
Why is it purple
Purple potatoes have such a “Martian” look for the same reason that blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes and many other plants have blue, red and purple colors of flowers, leaves and fruits. All of them contain anthocyanins (translated from Greek — “blue flower”). And different shades (from blue to purple) depend on the presence of potassium ions in the composition of these substances, which add redness, or magnesium and calcium — with them the fruits turn purple. That is, the color is affected by the acidity of the cell juice: more red tones indicate an acidic environment, blue and purple — an alkaline one.
Anthocyanins are good for the body. First of all, they have a bactericidal effect. Another important effect of anthocyanin compounds is that they bind free radicals, that is, unstable atoms that can damage cells and thereby cause various diseases and aging of the body. Anthocyanins are antioxidants.
These substances also strengthen the walls of capillaries and retina, reduce intraocular pressure, have a positive effect on brain activity, have diuretic and choleretic properties, relieve inflammation. And natural pigments of blue and purple colors lower blood sugar levels and strengthen the immune system. Therefore, purple potatoes are useful:
- for the prevention of diabetes,
- ophthalmic diseases,
- cardiovascular diseases,
- disorders of the gastrointestinal tract,
- liver diseases.
And also — for weight loss: anthocyanins prevent the accumulation of fats, and chlorogenic acid, which is also a lot in purple potatoes, promotes the breakdown of fats during exercise. In addition, purple potatoes are recommended weakened after a serious illness or surgery.
With caution, multicolored tubers should be treated only by those who have a food allergy. The rule that colored berries and fruits are more allergenic than green and light-colored ones also applies to purple potatoes.
How to use
Remember, purple potatoes can be boiled and fried, added to soup, used in salads and as a filling for pies and dumplings. Multicolored potatoes are baked in the ashes no worse than white-bodied. And purple potato chips can surprise friends gathered to watch the game of their favorite football team. And of course, with such a colorful side dish, any simple and familiar dish can be turned into a culinary masterpiece worthy of haute cuisine restaurants. The main thing is to choose the rest of the ingredients correctly so as not to violate the rules of coloristics.
Potatoes with colored pulp do not change their color during temperature treatment, except that it becomes slightly darker or, conversely, lighter. It is not too different from its white counterpart and organoleptically, but it has a richer potato taste and aroma. Some varieties also have a nutty taste, so their tubers are used even in raw form.
Of course, at first a dish of purple potatoes may not seem too edible in appearance. But this is a matter of habit, because we are calm about the lilac color, for example, blueberry yogurt. But what a space for culinary imagination!
Varieties of multicolored potatoes and their features
Today, many seed stores offer seed potatoes with pulp of non-traditional colors. Exotic varieties are successfully grown by summer residents in many regions. However, those who decided to breed a novelty should take into account that many of them are quite capricious: low-yielding, poorly stored, not too resistant to diseases and pests.
‘Vitelotte’
Also called ‘Negresse’, Chinese truffle or blue French truffle potato. One of the oldest varieties of purple potatoes. Its origin is not exactly known — it is probably a cultivated wild variety from South America. It was first mentioned in 1812. The name translated from French is somewhat frivolous and has nothing to do with color: the variety is named after the shape of the tubers — they are oblong. Deep eyes make ‘Vitelotte’ not too convenient to use.
Tubers are medium-sized, have a mass of up to 90 g, have a thick skin of almost black color and dark purple, sometimes marbled flesh. The variety is boiled, well stored. Potatoes are late—ripening and low-yielding by modern standards – no more than 200 kg from 1 hundred even with careful care and good agricultural technology.
‘Purple Congo’
In Europe, it is known as ‘Blue of Sweden’. It is similar in shape and color to another purple potato — ‘Vitelotte’. The variety is also old — it is more than three hundred years old. Medium-ripe, good taste. The variety is resistant to diseases and is well stored.
‘Explosion’
The flesh is a rich lilac color, the skin is dark purple. On the cross section, you can see a pattern resembling a purple firework. Tubers are oval, weighing up to 150 g. Universal purpose — suitable for cooking and frying. The variety is early-maturing, poorly stored: the eyes begin to wake up early. Relatively resistant to various diseases, including late blight.
‘Adirondack Blue’
It was created by breeders of Cornell University in 2003. Medium-ripened variety, characterized by high yield. It is good for cooking various dishes, it is moderately boiled. The bushes are tall, leafy. The stems and leaves have a purple hue, the flowers are white. The peel is thick, may be slightly reticulated, dark purple. The flesh is light purple, with lighter areas in the center and around the bark. It brightens slightly during temperature treatment. The number of tubers in the nest is average, the tubers are round-oval with shallow eyes. Of the minuses: the variety is susceptible to many potato diseases and is poorly stored — a short rest period.
‘All Blue’
The medium—late variety takes 80 days to mature. The color of the tubers outside and inside is from dark blue to blue. The cross-section has a noticeably lighter ring under the peel. Tubers weighing 120-150 g, oval. It has a short rest period. Suitable for any culinary purposes. When cooking, the pulp brightens slightly.
‘Solokha’
A variety of Ukrainian selection. Intense purple outside and inside. High amount of starch (more than 20%). It is very well suited for frying, although other dishes with ‘Solokha’ turn out well. High-yielding, medium-late, cancer-resistant potatoes.
‘Lilac’
Medium late grade (85-100 days). It has a lilac-colored flesh of a delicate shade with light areas inside. Dietary — low starch content, has a light almond flavor. The bush is compact, the flowers are pink. Well stored.
There are many varieties with purple flesh of different shades — you can collect a whole palette of purple potatoes. In addition to the above, you can buy Korean ‘Bora Valley’ with a beautiful marble-purple interior, ‘Gourmet’ — with light flesh decorated with purple inclusions, ‘Bora Potato’ — a contrasting combination of cream and deep purple color — and many others.
In addition to the blue-purple varieties of potatoes, there are also varieties with red flesh. Have you already tried to grow such an exotic product? What is your impression of him?