A
Potatoes are very popular today. But in the past this was not true. Potatoes grew in South America 5,000 years ago. But they only became popular in other places 200 years ago.
In the 16th century, the Spanish took the potato from South America to Europe. But European people didn't like this vegetable. They thought potatoes grew underground and would bring them bad luck if they ate them.
In the 1800s, people started to eat potatoes. Potatoes became the main food in Ireland. Then something unlucky happened. In 1845, a disease(疾病) killed all the potatoes in Ireland. Two million people died because they didn't have enough potatoes to eat.
Today each country has its potato dish. Germans eat potato salad, and the USA has the baked potato. Of course, the French have their French fries.