1: History of Everything: Potatoes

Meet Zhang Zongchang—the warlord so unhinged, so chaotic, that his own soldiers called him "72-Cannon Zhang" while everyone else just called him the Dog Meat General. Standing nearly 6'6" in an era when most Chinese men were a foot shorter, this mountain of a man ruled China's Sh ... Show More

By 1775, the thirteen American colonies were a tinderbox — and it only took one spark to set the empire ablaze. But how did loyal British subjects transform into armed revolutionaries in just over a decade? In this video, we trace the explosive chain of events that turned colonia ... Show More

In 1986, Cleveland made history by releasing 1.5 million balloons into the sky—a world record that still stands today. But what was supposed to be a harmless spectacle quickly turned into something far more complicated. For decades, we've been told this event was an unmitigated d ... Show More

In its time, the potato has been called the root of filth, misery and obesity - but is it fair to call it the 'food of the poor'? In the first episode of a two-part series, The Food Chain goes to the very roots of the world's most popular vegetable, digging up some new perspectiv ... Show More

<p>Today, the humble potato can be found in restaurants and dinner tables across the world -- but this wasn't always the case. In today's episode, Ben and Noel dive into the story of one spud-loving, potato-proselytizing man named Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, and his ambitious li ... Show More

In our second and final episode on the humble spud, we meet the people who see the global economic future as being potato powered. The potato is the world's most produced staple food after rice, wheat and corn - yet historically, it was seen as the root of filth, misery and obesi ... Show More

Consider the potato. The typical potato is not all that pretty. They can be beige and lumpy, dusty and speckled, and on top of that, they even sprout alien-like tentacles. Further, no one really knows what to make of the potato. Is it a vegetable, or so starchy that we should rea ... Show More

This week, the gals put on their gardening overalls to dig up some starchy stories. Topics include a monocultural meltdown, a heaping bowl of toxic taters, and one neighbor's ghastly revenge. Start boiling some water for mashed potatoes, double the butter, and tune in for Potato ... Show More

This starchy side dish can inspire some strong opinions -- and side-eye. Anney and Lauren peel back the history behind the many, many iterations of potato salad.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

If you enjoy the true stories told in Survival, check out this episode from our series Natural Disasters: In 1845, a fungus destroyed Ireland’s potato crops, leaving the Irish population without its main food source. The first months of the famine morphed into a bureaucratic nigh ... Show More

In this episode, social media chef and queen of potatoes, Poppy O'Toole, explores the world of her favourite ingredient, the Potato. Last year, Poppy appeared on Mastermind, choosing the history of the potato as her specialist subject. Let’s just say… it didn’t quite go to plan. ... Show More

<p>In the mid-1800s, the poorest people in Ireland ate almost nothing but potatoes. Other crops were for selling. So when a blight cut a swath through the potato crop, the impact was severe, and politics played a significant role in the tragedy.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ... Show More

Aloo ki Sabzi, Mashed Potatoes and – everyone’s favorite – Batata Wada. One vegetable, so many different avatars! This starchy spud is so versatile and ubiquitous that you may think it’s always found favour with people. But the story of the potato is a long and chequered one!From ... Show More