By Yahaira Reyes
The Irish love affair with potatoes is one that began many centuries ago. This amazing and versatile vegetable, of South American origins, was introduced to Ireland around the 1600’s. Since then the potato has been a reliable source of food for us on the best and worst of times. We in return hold a great love for the fantastic spud! From enjoying them in a delicious Irish stew to picking them up at the chipper on our way back from a night out, there are plenty of ways and styles we can use to cook our potatoes. Bord Bia and its Ambassador, TV Nutritional expert and Dietician, Aoife Hearne, are now bringing the ‘Potatoes, More than a Bit on the Side’ campaign for the generic promotion of fresh potatoes across Great Britain and Ireland. Their main objective is to develop markets for Irish suppliers and to bring the taste of Irish food to more tables worldwide.
This campaign also aims to encourage people to be more adventurous in their use of potatoes by trying out a wide selection of quick and healthy recipes. Speaking about this trend and her new role as ambassador, Aoife said: “It’s really important that we dispel the myth that potatoes are fattening. Potatoes provide Irish people with a very important source of carbohydrates, which are essential for our bodies and particularly for brain function. Potatoes are naturally fat and gluten free, a great source of fibre, Vitamin C and a variety of B vitamins. They also contain three times the amount of potassium of bananas.”
Visit potato.ie for more info!
