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The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Many Germans believe Frederick the Great brought potatoes to the country. It's not true
Generations of Germans credit Frederick the Great with introducing the beloved potato to the nation, but the popular legend reveals a surprising twist: the 18th-century Prussian monarch had to resort to cunning to convince his subjects to embrace the tuber. Despite potatoes having arrived in Europe from South America in the 16th century, the people of Prussia, a region that would later form part of a united Germany, were initially reluctant to consume the new crop. Faced with this resistance, King Frederick II devised an ingenious plan. He strategically positioned royal guards and soldiers around his palace garden, where the potatoes were cultivated. This created the deliberate illusion that the spuds were a rare and highly prized commodity, reserved exclusively for the royal family and their aristocratic circle. However, each night, the guards would discreetly withdraw from their posts, providing an irresistible opportunity for enterprising locals to sneak in and "steal" the supposedly valuable tubers, thereby spreading their consumption across the land. Thus began Germany's love affair with the humble Kartoffel and Frederick's rebranding as Der Kartoffelkönig, the potato king. Except it's all fake. Bogus. Phony. Falsch! as the Germans would say. And debunking it is a royal pain for Jürgen Luh, historian of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, even when history has receipts. Archives of royal menus show the king instead had a penchant for Italian food and French wine. 'He never ate it,' Luh said. 'Any potato. Not boiled, not fried.' The unexciting truth is that the potato has been cultivated in Germany's Bavarian region since 1647, Luh said. Frederick's great-grandfather, Elector Frederick William, introduced it to the Brandenburg area of Prussia in the 1650s, but only because he liked the aesthetics of the plant's leafy greens. By the time Frederick the Great took the throne in 1740, the potato was grown in gardens throughout Prussia but not on a large scale. The king did actually issue royal decrees promoting the farming and production of potatoes, but his people ignored them. Potatoes did not become widespread in Prussia, in central and eastern Europe, until after the Napoleonic wars ended in 1815, after Frederick II's death in 1786. The guarded garden story, Luh said, is nonsense. And Frederick was more of a wannabe potato king than an actual one. But the fable has deep roots, and the myth makes money. To this day, visitors to Frederick's summer home of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, outside Berlin, leave raw potatoes and paper crowns on the king's grave. The palace's gift shops sell potato merchandise, from postcards and children's books to a 35-euro ($40) apron proclaiming the wearer as a Kartoffelkönig. Luh used to correct tour guides and visitors to the palace, but he's largely given up. Besides, he said, at least it means people are coming to Sanssouci and experiencing its rich history. 'The fact is that the legend has beaten the truth and the legend is just too beautiful,' he added. Whatever its roots, the potato is undeniably part of the German cultural identity. At Biohof Schöneiche, an organic farm outside Berlin, workers will harvest roughly 2,500 metric tons (5.5 million pounds) of potatoes come the annual September harvest. 'In most parts of the world, potatoes are considered a vegetable. In Germany it's a staple food,' general manager Axel Boehme said. ' People cannot imagine to have a meal without potatoes.' Regional recipes, passed down from every Oma (grandmother) to each new generation, debate the merits of a vinegar- or mayo-based Kartoffelsalat. From boiled (Salzkartoffeln) or pan-fried (Bratkartoffeln) to dumplings and pancakes (Kartoffelklösse and Kartoffelpuffer), the versatile vegetable is intertwined with the country's emotional heritage. For Anke Schoenfelder, project manager for German potato marking company Kartoffel-Marketing GmbH, her favorite tuber tradition is rooted in making Kartoffel-Karotten-Gugelhupf (potato and carrot Bundt cake) for family gatherings. 'Taste is memory, right? And when this is related to your family, this is even more part of your identity,' she said. Plus, Schoenfelder added, the potato can be used as a beauty product — the juice can be good for your skin, she says — or a household cleaner, for stubborn stains on the bottom of your oven. For now, Der Kartoffelkönig's legend lives on. As Luh was speaking to The Associated Press in front of the king's grave, two tourists placed their offerings of potatoes on the tomb. One even took a selfie as she did so. 'I always think I should go here in the evening when I have no potatoes at home,' the historian joked. 'I could take them away and have a good meal afterwards.' Kartoffel-Karotten-Gugelhupf (potato and carrot Bundt cake) From Kartoffel-Marketing GmbH, a German potato marking company. In true European fashion, the measurements provided refer to weight, not volume. You will need a 10-cup Bundt pan. Time: 90 minutes Serves: 12 Ingredients 9 oz (250g) high-starch potatoes (such as Russets and Maris Pipers) 9 oz (250g) carrots 1.7 fluid ounces (50 mL) carrot juice 1.7 fluid ounces (50 mL) sunflower oil 4 eggs (medium-size, room temperature) 7 oz (200g) sugar 1 packet vanilla sugar 4.5 oz (125g) almonds, ground 4.5 oz (125g) flour melted butter to grease the mold 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs Directions Wash the potatoes and boil them in salted water for about 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. Let them cool slightly, peel them, and then press them through a potato ricer into a bowl. Wash and peel the carrots and grate them finely with the potatoes, using a vegetable grater or a mandolin. Generously grease the Bundt pan with oil or butter. Coat the pan with some breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 392°F (200°C) on the fan setting. Add carrot juice, sunflower oil, eggs, vanilla sugar, sugar, flour, baking powder and ground almonds to the mashed potatoes and grated carrots and mix with a hand mixer for about four minutes until a dough forms. Pour the potato-carrot cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until cooked through (if necessary, cover the pan with aluminum foil after half an hour to prevent the cake from burning). Let the cake cool completely (you can also do this on a balcony or terrace) before decorating it with icing. This is important, because otherwise the icing will seep into the cake. In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and a little lemon juice until thickened. Pour the icing over the cooled cake and decorate with your preferred toppings like chocolate chips, for example. Let it rest a bit to allow the icing to set.
Associated Press
18-06-2025
- Science
- Associated Press
Ulli Lust is awarded the German Non-Fiction Prize 2025 for 'Die Frau als Mensch'
The winner of the German Non-Fiction Prize 2025 is Ulli Lust, for her work 'Die Frau als Mensch. Am Anfang der Geschichte' ('Woman as Human. At the Dawn of History') (Reprodukt). Statement from the jury: 'The strong woman as a human being. In her informed and imaginative non-fiction book on the origins of humanity – between evolution and culture – Ulli Lust reveals how the role of women in human history has remained largely invisible. A fundamental revision of the long-dominant image of 'man as mankind' is overdue, as this book demonstrates through its unique interweaving of scholarly insights from archaeology, anthropology, and art history, continually inspired by everyday experiences. With this multi-layered approach, Lust succeeds in breaking open long-held assumptions – including those about the genre of non-fiction itself, which she expands in the most beautiful way through her virtuoso combination of image and text.' The members of the jury for the German Non-Fiction Prize 2025 are: Michael Hagner (ETH Zurich), Christiane Hoffmann (author), Michael Lemling ('Buchhandlung Lehmkuhl' bookshop), Manuela Lenzen (science journalist), Patricia Rahemipour (Institute for Museum Research, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), Heike Schmoll (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and Katrin Vohland (Natural History Museum Vienna). The following books were also nominated for the award: Ingo Dachwitz & Sven Hilbig,Digitaler Kolonialismus. Wie Tech-Konzerne und Großmächte die Welt unter sich aufteilen( Aladin El-Mafaalani, Sebastian Kurtenbach & Klaus Peter Strohmeier, Kinder –Minderheit ohne Schutz. Aufwachsen in der alternden Gesellschaft(Kiepenheuer & Witsch) Franz-Stefan Gady,Die Rückkehr des Krieges. Warum wir wieder lernen müssen, mit Krieg umzugehen(Quadriga) Ines Geipel,Fabelland. Der Osten, der Westen, der Zorn und das Glück(S. Fischer) Martina Heßler,Sisyphos im Maschinenraum. Eine Geschichte der Fehlbarkeit von Mensch und Technologie( Walburga Hülk,Victor Hugo. Jahrhundertmensch(Matthes & Seitz Berlin) Bernhard Kegel,Mit Pflanzen die Welt retten. Grüne Lösungen gegen den Klimawandel(DuMont) The German Non-Fiction Prize is awarded by the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association) in recognition of an outstanding original German-language non-fiction book that inspires social debate. The Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Deutsche Bank Foundation) is the main supporter of the prize, which is also backed by the City of Hamburg and Frankfurter Buchmesse. The cultural programme 'aspekte' on ZDF and Deutschlandfunk Kultur are media partners of the prize. Apress photo of the winnerwill be available from approx. 8 p.m. at
