From “Food of Lepers” to Global Staple: The 500-Year Triumph of the Potato

Following the great geographical discoveries of the 15th century, the global spread of food crops profoundly shaped human civilization. The potato stands as one of the most representative examples. Over the past 500 years, its journey has been marked by dramatic reversals: it was maliciously slandered for its alleged toxicity and its tubers’ resemblance to leprous limbs, and for centuries it was dismissed as food for the poor. Today, however, the potato has conquered the world to become the fourth-largest food crop globally. This fascinating narrative is comprehensively documented in “The Global History of the Potato” by Berthold Laufer (1874–1934), the renowned German-born American anthropologist and Sinologist. Drawing on original sources and research from dozens of countries, Laufer systematically traces the potato’s path from its birthplace in the Andes through its tumultuous global spread.

Laufer, whom scholar Xu Zhuoyun called one of the few great Sinologists of the 20th century, explores not only botanical and agricultural dimensions but also the potato’s paradoxical cultural legacy. The tuber saved humanity from famine, yet was blamed for causing leprosy, poisoning the soil, and even sparking world wars through population growth. The book reveals the potato’s astonishing adaptability to climates from high-altitude Andean plateaus (up to 14,000 feet) to coastal plains, as well as its remarkable varietal diversity—from roughly 60 known varieties in France in 1815 to nearly 1,000 today. Richly illustrated and accessible, “The Global History of the Potato” stands as a foundational work in global plant history.