Potatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of Peru, where more than 2,000 varieties still grow wild (there are more than 4,000 varieties of potatoes worldwide). They were first domesticated more than 6,000 years ago.

Don’t you wish you could buy some of these beauties, instead of the plain potatoes grown for the mass market?

If you look closely, you’ll see versions that look similar to what we can buy today. What we can buy is based on which varieties:

 
THE HISTORY OF POTATOES

Wild potatoes are indigenous to the Andes Mountains in Peru, and were cultivated by the Incas.

However, not everyone was enamored of the potato (or the tomato). They were feared at first, accused of causing leprosy and being poisonous. They were classified as a relative of deadly nightshade, because both contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, though the levels in domestic potatoes and tomatoes fall far short of being harmful to people.

Slowly, more countries realized the power of the potato. It could grow in any climate. It thrived in Ireland, so much so that when hit by a potato blight, Phytophthora infestans, three years in a row, more than a million people died of starvation and disease.

Potatoes were introduced to America in the 18th century. They were first planted in Idaho in 1836; the state now grows 25% of the nation’s potatoes.

Idahoan Luther Burbank developed the Russet Burbank potato in 1872, a more disease-resistant version of the Irish russet potato (there have been additional russet developments since).

And the rest is history—even if modern history is not as colorful as the original created by nature.
 
CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF POTATOES IN OUR POTATO GLOSSARY.

Sure, you enjoy tequila in a Margarita, Tequila Sunrise or hundreds of other drinks that use the popular Mexican spirit.

But have you tried tequila on the rocks? That’s how the aged tequila expressions, Añejo and Extra Añejo, should be enjoyed (here are the different types of tequila).

Even if all you have is a bottle of Blanco/Silver tequila, you can pour it over rocks. Here‘s a refreshing tip for summer sipping from the folks at Milagro Tequila:

Serve Silver tequila on the rocks with a sprig of spanked mint.

Least you think that “spanked” mint is something kinky: Just crush the mint lightly in your hand to release some of the essential oil inside. It’s a tip to use with all fresh herbs, whether you’re adding rosemary to a marinade or basil to a sauce.

Tequila on the rocks: no mixing required. Photo courtesy Milagro Tequila.

A long, stick-like gadget (the muddler), similar to a mortar-and-pestle effect, is used for crushing.

You can exchange the mint for fruit and turn tequila on the rocks to red, white and blue tequila shooters.

Just add a spoonful of purée or fruit juice to the shot glass:

 
FOOD TRIVIA

While explorers of the New World brought much exciting food back to Europe (cacao/chocolate, potatoes, tomatoes and turkey, for starters), they contributed two pretty essential foods to the New World: distilled spirits (they taught the Aztecs how to turned the original fermented mezcal into tequila) and honey.

Check out the history of Tequila.

RECIPE: RED, WHITE & BLUE FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients For 4 Servings

*Whipped Topping Substitutes

Prepared whipped toppings typically have high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, which we avoid. Instead, use crème fraîche, mascarpone, sweetened sour cream, vanilla frozen yogurt, whipped cream or miniature white meringue cookies.

Another beautiful dish of red, white and blue. Photo courtesy National Watermelon Promotion Board.

Preparation

1. MIX together the watermelon and blueberries. Divide among 4 sundae bowls.

2. TOP each with a dollop of topping and sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles. Serve immediately.

 
HOW ABOUT SOME RED, WHITE & BLUE COOKIES TO GO WITH THE FRUIT SALAD?

It’s essentially a chocolate chip cookie with added dried raspberries and blueberries. You can incorporate the red, white and blue into other cookies, including oatmeal. If you don’t like white chocolate, use macadamia nuts.

 
RECIPE: RED, WHITE & BLUE COOKIES

Ingredients For 24 Cookies

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Have ready two ungreased cookie sheets.

2. MIX together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl.

3. CREAM butter and both sugars together in a second bowl. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds.

4. ADD flour mixture and stir with a mixing spoon until well mixed. Stir in all dried berries and white chocolate.

5. DROP by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 
MORE JULY 4TH FOOD RECIPES

Summer is iced tea time. If you’re a fan, here’s a question:

Why take the time and effort to brew iced tea? You can buy it in individual bottles and large formats just about everywhere.

The main reasons to brew your own are sustainability, cost and, if you have a good palate, better quality tea.

THE EFFICIENCY OF AN ELECTRIC TEA KETTLE

Electric kettles have been around for generations, but they keep getting better and better.

Introduced last month as part of Panasonic’s new Breakfast Collection, the The Panasonic C-ZK1 is a sleek 1.4 liter tea kettle with 1500 watts of power. It’s $179.95 on Amazon.com. You can find an electric kettle for $25.00, but it doesn’t have these features:

There are more benefits. Read the full review.

Or head on over to Amazon.com to buy one.

HOW TO BREW ICED TEA

[1] Shrimp ceviche (photo © Yasmine Duchesne | Unsplash).

[2] You can serve ceviche in any type of dish, including rocks glasses and wine glasses (photo © Seviche Restaurant | Louisville).

[3] Ceviche and tortilla chips are great with a glass of wine or a beer (photo © Chevys Fresh Mex | Flavor & The Menu).

[4] Consider a tasting trio—triple the delight of ceviche (photo © Pampano Botaneria | NYC).

[5] Ceviche is a delicious stuffing for avocados (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

[6] Serve ceviche atop remain leaves for a first course or instead of a luncheon salad (photo © The Chalkboard).

[7] Ceviche with a fried plaintain garnish (photo © Chef Todd English | MXDC Cocina Mexican Restaurant | DC).

It’s a great dish: high in protein, low in calories, with as many recipe variations as there are cooks to create them.

Ceviche (pronounced say-VEE-chay) starts with raw fish and/or shellfish that is marinated and cured in citrus juice. The highly acidic citrus juice creates a chemical reaction in the proteins, the result of which is similar to what happens when the fish is cooked with heat.

As the fish marinates, you can see it change from translucent to opaque. For people who avoid raw fish: Consider ceviche to be cooked.

> The different types of raw fish dishes.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CEVICHE

We don’t know how long ceviche has existed, only that it has been around for more than 500 years. In the early 1500s, the Spanish conquistadors wrote of an Inca dish of raw fish marinated in chicha, a fermented maize beer.

The Spanish contributed lime and onion, ingredients that are integral to modern ceviche. In fact, the term “ceviche” is thought to come from the Spanish escabeche, meaning marinade.

Other sources including Peruvian historian Javier Pulgar Vidal argue that seviche has its roots in the native Quechua word “siwichi,” which means either “fresh fish” or “young fish.” And there are more discussions on spelling and pronunciation [source]

Ceviche has spread over Latin America, with both Ecuador and Peru claiming to have originated the dish. Both were part of the Incan Empire.

But why quibble: Today, ceviche—or seviche or sebiche, depending on the country (Spanish speakers pronounce the English “v” like a “b”)—is so popular that there are cevicherias, restaurants that specialize in ceviche.

There’s a whole menu of ceviche, using different types of fish and seafood and country-specific preparations. Each country adds its own spin based on local seafood and preference for ingredients like avocado.

 
 
CREATE YOUR OWN SPECTACULAR CEVICHE

You can use our ceviche recipe template to create your own signature ceviche. Here’s what to drink with ceviche.

The classic ceviche is fluke marinated with aji rocoto (a very hot Peruvian chile) and cilantro. A mixto (fluke, octopus, shrimp, squid) with avocado, onion, and tomato is also popular, as are hundreds of variations, including contemporary versions with ingredients from apple to zucchini. Here are some of the variations from restaurants in our area:

 
 
ASIAN-FUSION CEVICHE

Peru has a large Japanese population, which has resulted in “fusion ceviche” by adding traditional Japanese ingredients—daikon radish, kaiware sprouts, ponzu sauce, scallions, sesame, shiso, ume, yuzu, soy sauce, wasabi.
 
 
HOW TO SERVE CEVICHE

In addition to conventional dishware—plates and bowls—consider:

 
 
MORE CEVICHE RECIPES

 
To drink with your ceviche, how about Peru’s national cocktail: