We retrace our steps back to the sixteenth century. A time when the potato was exotic. Nowadays, children eat pastas, pizzas, burgers, shawarma, sushi, (lots of) noodles, fried rice, etc. That is why they find it a treat when you serve them boiled potatoes for supper once in a while. With a bit of salt and lots of gravy, of course. It is special and exotic again. And that is no applesauce. We, therefore, wondered how seriously we should take the grim image of Van Gogh’s Potato Eaters.

There are many, many words for the tattie or the potato. Only in the Netherlands, the variations are endless. For example, aardappel, erpel, jirpel, patat, and pieper. But many more. In Germany, it is officially Kartoffel, but many more variations exist here too, including Pipper, Tüfte, and Tüffel. The last two variants probably derive from the word truffle. We will stick to potato in this blog post. Besides all the different names for potato, there are more than 5,000 different varieties of potatoes, all with different names. Do not even bother to list those. Furthermore, you have the confusion of French fries, chips, patat/petat, and friet/frieten, all names for the fried, elongated strips of potato. The border between friet/frieten and patat/petat is shown on the map below.

The birthplace of the potato is, according to DNA research, southern Peru. Nevertheless, Chile and Peru are almost in a state of war still about who can claim to be the birthplace of the poisonous plant, las papas. We do not know why they argue about it, since it is too late to get a patent anyway – the world claim for potato fame. We, bastards of the Frisia Coast Trail, do know from our own experience that southern Chile and Peru is excellent hiking material, e.g. National Park Torres del Paine. But this aside, and actually, it is not relevant to mention here.

The earliest proof of the potato crossing the pond is the year 1573, when the vegetable was recorded in Spain. Once in Spain, monks were probably responsible for spreading the plant further into Europe, perhaps first via Italy. At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the potato reached Germany and the Netherlands. By then, it was still a curiosity, mostly grown in cloister gardens and at universities for study. People figured the weird-looking and tasteless potato was more suitable as food for pigs – we will come back to Peppa Pig later in this blog post – and maybe for the poor.

Things changed because of clashing religions, as it often does in history. Already before the arrival of the potato in Europe, Martin Luther had nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the church in the town of Wittenberg in the State of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany in the year 1517. Eventually, this schism, too, led to (civil) wars and prosecution between Catholics and Protestants. This, as a matter of course, also led to refugee flows within Europe to, among others, the Low Countries. People adrift included the Huguenots from France at the end of the seventeenth century.

Huguenots in general did not bring much wealth with them or other particular valuable skills, contrary to what is sometimes romanticized. Something that might be influenced by today's emotional migration debates. But, the Huguenots did not come totally empty-handed either. One of the things they did bring with them was a different cuisine which had the potato as a staple. The noodles, kibbeh ('bulgur wheat dish'), nasi goreng ('fried rice') or pom ('taro root dish') of today's immigrants, you might say. In the period between 1680 and 1720, religious refugees also settled in the province of Friesland. Here they started to grow potatoes in their small, private kitchen gardens. Small-scale, and, at first, only for private consumption.

In the year 1761, it was this area between the terp villages (a terp being an artificial settlement mound) of Firdgum and Tzummarum in the northwest of the province of Friesland, on the edge of land, where the first commercial field of potatoes ever was harvested. Firdgum is depicted on the cover photo of this blog post with its remarkable freestanding slim church tower on the terp remains. The first load of potatoes was shipped to the city of Amsterdam via the harbour of the port town of Harlingen by skipper Johan Pieters, a skipper from the town of Franeker. To this very day, the potato is the main crop in this area, although farmers have specialized in seed potatoes now.

The reason behind the potato was – and still is – so successful in this area has to do with the rich clay soil in combination with the salty sea breeze, the latter giving greenfly a very hard time to survive. The clay soil used to be tidal marshland which was reclaimed from the Wadden Sea in the High Middle Ages and, therefore, is very fertile.

Clothes for the Pope - Before the introduction of the potato, the area of Firdgum was known for its flax production. Flax is the basis for linen cloth. The local story is that even the Pope in Rome wore clothes made in Firdgum. If you want to have a clue what is true of this local rumour (and it is more than you think!) read our blog post Haute couture from the salt marshes. Traditional carbohydrate crops of the salt marsh were barley, especially sea barley, and emmer wheat. Possibly spelt and (bread) wheat too. But archaeological research has to further substantiate the growing of these two crops.

Because it was a great and nutritious addition to the diet, the potato became known as the poor man’s food. Cheap food and the only food the gray masses could afford.

With the occupation of the French at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the economy of the province Friesland totally collapsed. More specifically, the sea trade with the Baltics, the British Isles, and Scandinavia suffered greatly. For Harlingen, which was still a major port in the Netherlands, this was disastrous. The sea trade would never be restored to its former glory. On top of this, in the year 1843, an economic crisis set in and most people lost their jobs again. This was 'supplemented' by a malaria epidemic, an influenza epidemic, cholera, and, last but not least, potato blight. The latter caused crop failures and serious famine. Despite people literally starving, the few healthy potatoes that were harvested were exported. They were shipped from the port town of Harlingen. Malaria hit the town of Harlingen relatively hard because the mosquito thrived very well in a brackish environment.

On 24 June 1847, hungry masses exploded in this small but crowded and jammed town at the Wadden Sea coast. It became known as the Aardappeloproer ('potato riot'). First, they plundered a ship loaded with potatoes. After they had secured the potatoes, mobs looted the houses of the wealthy, including that of Mayor Rodenhuis (Vuyk 2011). The next day, the King's governor and military arrived and restored order. Fifteen persons were arrested. Furthermore, the Minister of War – no, we are not making this up – sent a gunboat to Harlingen to secure the steam navigation with England (Schroor 2015). By the way, in 1917, the city of Amsterdam followed with its own Aardappeloproer. Here too, the fact that those few potatoes that could be harvested were being exported to England and Germany provoked the masses (Historiek 2022).

In the ’50s that followed, things were not much better. Poor people were still dying like flies because of cholera, tuberculosis, and malaria. And potatoes were still scarce and too expensive. The second half of the nineteenth century was also a period when many Frisians emigrated to Canada and the United States, including well-known names like Folkert Kuipers alias Frank Cooper, Sybrigje Viersen, Douwe or Dow Drukker, and the parents of William Sake Hofstra, Wiebe Klaas Frankena, Rod Jellema, and Lenny Dykstra alias Nails, the famous baseball player.

Not long after these troubles, in the year 1885, Vincent van Gogh painted the grim life of the poor. The painting is named De aardappeleters ('the potato eaters'). The name is not to be confused with those youngsters in the Netherlands today, who are known as patatgeneratie, literally meaning ‘French fries generation.' A generation of the period from the early ’70s to the mid ‘80s, typified by their passiveness. Indeed, real potato heads.

Given the exceptionally harsh, poor, and unsanitary living conditions in Harlingen in the nineteenth century, and remaining poor ever since (see note down below), it is no wonder it was here that the foundations were laid for district nursing as we know in the world today, albeit having been cut back by the neo-liberal governments in the Netherlands itself. The founder of district nursing, also known as home nursing, was Sien van Hulst from Harlingen (1868-1930). Initially, she focused on women in childbirth and new-borns in the slums of the town. Eventually, her growing organization was merged into the association of the Groene Kruis. Sien's famous adagium 'reinheid, rust en regelmaat' ('chastity, tranquillity, and regularity') is one people that probably sounds familiar still. So, Harlingen being the cradle of district nursing.

Kids and potatoes have another connection. Headmaster Kornelis Lieuwes de Vries from the village of Suameer in the center of the province of Friesland cultivated potatoes at his school. A famous potato variety he developed in 1905 was Bintje. He named this variety after one of his pupils, an eager girl named Bintje Jansma. Other pupils in his school, after whom potato varieties are named, too, are Cato, Sipe, and Trijntje. Apparently, the kids in class were very disciplined, so the teachers had loads of time to spend on their hobbies.

And now, after being so many centuries of service, potatoes are slowly disappearing from the Dutch staple, especially from the tables of city folk. They are considered old-fashioned, tasteless food, and above all, not quick to prepare. The bags are heavy to carry from the supermarket, and you have to peel the skin too. Too tiring. Too much of a hassle for a family where both skinny parents work and only have a few minutes to prepare a meal. Too many carbs anyway, especially since (cargo) bikes have become electric. But everything that is scarce always becomes popular.

Therefore, go the extra mile and treat your children once in a while to this former poor man's food again: boiled potatoes with a bit of salt and lots and loads of gravy. And if they do not like, tell them kids in Harlingen starved once and rioted to get a potato. If they need a final push to be convinced, show your kids this short movie of Peppa Pig about when Mr. Potato Head Comes to Town (and good to see Peppa Pig lives on a terp too! ;-) ).

Your kids love it and not grim at all (anymore)!

Note 1 - When hiking the Frisia Coast Trail you pass through this area, and you have the option to visit the Yeb Hettinga Museum in an old school-building, and the Zodenhuis, a sod-house replica made of clay grass-sods being the practice in the Early Middle Ages.

Note 2 – If you happen to be in the Queen of the Hanseatic League, the city of Lübeck in northern Germany, you have the chance to go out eating in the Kartoffel Keller ('potato cellar'). A restaurant dedicated to the potato. Now, how cool is that!

Note 3 – We explained that the port town of Harlingen went into decline from the end of the eighteenth century and has remained poor ever since. Quite recent reports, among others that of the Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau (2022), Erasmus School of Economics (2020), and the reports of Kinderen in Tel before, confirm that Harlingen is still one of the poorest places in the Netherlands, and its children have almost no chance to escape from it.

Note 4 – Credits (featured) images Firdgum by Fotogorter and De Aardappeleters by Vincent van Gogh

Further reading

Buist, G., Bintje, vernoemd naar een ijverig schoolmeisje uit Friesland (2019)

Haan, de P. & Huisman, K. (eds.), Gevierde Friezen in Amerika (2009)

Historiek, De Aardappeloproer ontspoort (1917) (2022)

Nicolay, J., Schepers, M., Postma, D. & Kaspers, A., Firdgum: pioniers, boeren en terpbewoners (2018)

NOS, Harlingen laat oorzaak armoede in gemeente onderzoeken (2020)

Oliemans, W.H., Het brood van de armen. De geschiedenis van de aardappel temidden van ketters, kloosterlingen en kerkvorsten (1988)

Pot, G.P.M., Arm Leiden. Levensstandaard, bedeling en bedeelden 1750-1854 (1993)

Schroor, M., Harlingen. Geschiedenis van de Friese havenstad (2015)

Scheltema, J., Geschiedenis van de dagelijksche kost in de burger-huishoudingen (1830)

Stichting Bildtse Aardappelweken, Poetic Potatoes (2014-2018)

Trouw, Waarom Trouw een week lang naar Harlingen gaat (2022)

Vliet, van H., Aardappel deed Friese bevolking in eeuw verdubbelen (2024)

Vries, de E., Ype Baukes de Graaf. De laatste Fries die de doorstraf kreeg (2003)

Vuyk, S., De blikken dominee. Een verboden liefdesaffaire die eindigde in moord (2011)

Wiersma, J., Noord-Nederland na de bedijkingen (2018)