Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes
Riley Dineen
Professor Graham
10/5/23
Origin of Mashed
Potatoes
❑ The origin of mashed potatoes is elusive, with various
hypotheses postulated to explain the birth of this cherished
dish.
❑ The Andean region of South America, especially Peru, served
as the backdrop for the initial domestication of potatoes by its
indigenous inhabitants (Graumann, 2023).
❑ The Incas grew and consumed potatoes abundantly (Steele,
2015). However, their method of mashing and purpose for
doing so deviated from contemporary techniques.
❑ Hannah Glasse, the renowned English author, is often credited
for her invention of mashed potatoes. Her 18th-century
cookbook featured a recipe for this beloved staple (Supinger,
2022).
❑ Antoine Parmentier, an illustrious Frenchman of the
eighteenth century, exerted a profound influence on the
spread of potatoes (De Jong, 2016). He challenged cooks to
create new ways of preparing potatoes, and he is sometimes
even credited with inventing mashed potatoes.
Migration to South
Carolina
European Colonization
• European settlers, largely originating from England,
colonized South Carolina.
• These settlers imported their culinary practices, including
dishes as mashed potatoes.
• The colonies were introduced to potatoes and a variety of
other crops and sustenance during this period.
African Influences
• African enslaved people, relocated to South Carolina and
immensely impacted the regional culinary heritage (Joy
2020).
• The preparation and seasoning of mashed potatoes in the
region may have been impacted by African cooking
techniques and flavor profiles.
Native American Influence
• Native American tribes, such as the Catawba and Cherokee,
inhabited the region before European colonization.
• These indigenous cultures had their own culinary practices,
including the cultivation and consumption of potatoes.
• The exchange of food knowledge between Native
Americans and European settlers could have influenced the
integration of mashed potatoes into local cuisine.
Migration Pattern
Cultural Symbols
❑ Mashed potatoes have a substantial cultural signification in
Ireland (Ferriter, 2010), It has attained symbolic value as a
means of endurance during the Irish famine.