" POTATOES "

The eating habits of most nations place a great deal of importance on
a category of foods we call starches. In fact, for a large portion of the
world’s peoples, starch is the mainstay of the diet and supplies most of
the day’s calories. In North America and Europe, the most important
starches are potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread. It is true that we do not
depend on these high-carbohydrate foods as much as many of the world’s
people do who eat far less meat than we do. Nevertheless, even as diet
fashions and fads come and go, starches appear at nearly all our meals.
Because we eat them often and have devised a great many ways of
preparing them, starchy foods require extra study beyond that which
we have given to other vegetables.