Potatoes often end up on our plates as a side dish. But can you eat raw potatoes or are they even poisonous? Here comes the answer!
We love potatoes. They are versatile, healthy and have few calories. Apparently, we are not alone in this.
Recently, a reader question landed in our mailbox. At first, we were a bit taken aback.
But the question is not uninteresting: tell me, can you eat raw potatoes or are they poisonous? It was in the mail.
That made us curious. We have made ourselves smart :)
Normally, hardly anyone would think of eating potatoes raw. You can make delicious potato salads, soups, main courses and even casseroles and stews.
But have you ever wondered if you can eat raw potatoes?
Table of contents
Whether you can eat raw potatoes
Have you ever tried to eat raw potatoes? They don't taste very good and are also difficult to digest.
On the one hand, this is due to the starch, which has a very floury taste. This is changed during cooking and makes the potatoes digestible and tasty.
However, raw potatoes also taste unpleasantly bitter. This is because they contain solanine.
Solanine is a toxin used to naturally protect the plant against rot pathogens, pests, predators and fungal attack.
Particularly much of it is found under the skin, on green and on germinating parts. The solanine disappears during the cooking process.
Better than raw potatoes: parsnip potato casserole!
Delicious: Wild asparagus with parmesan and potatoes
If you store your potatoes incorrectly or for too long, it can still occur after cooking.
Because of the solanine, eating raw potatoes can be harmful. Possible symptoms of poisoning are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Breathing problems
- and cramps
Of course, it always depends on the quantity. A small piece of raw and peeled potato will certainly not hurt you.
As a healthy adult, you would have to eat about five pounds of raw potatoes for these symptoms of poisoning to occur.
If you suspect poisoning, however, you should always consult a doctor.
By the way, raw potato juice is considered a natural home remedy for heartburn. The mucilages of the potato protectively cover the stomach lining.
How you can avoid the formation of solanine
Most potato varieties are already bred to have low solanine content.
To prevent solanine formation, you should store your potato in a dark, cool and dry place. This is the least likely way for sprouts to form. The solanine turns green when exposed to sunlight or strong light.
Also, if you store your potatoes too long, the toxin is produced. Therefore, you should always peel old potatoes.
Recipe: Vegetarian lentil stew with potatoes
What you should consider when eating raw potatoes
Uncooked potato or potato juice can relieve some discomfort, such as heartburn. If you want to eat raw potatoes, you should still consider some points.
It is especially important that you peel the potato generously. Cut away any green or dark spots. You should also remove any sprouts. After peeling, wash the potato properly.
Make sure you don't eat old potatoes. They have a higher solanine content. Go for fresh varieties instead. In addition, you should only eat a small amount of raw potatoes.
Why potatoes are so healthy
You should rather avoid eating raw potatoes. But potatoes are really healthy. They provide a lot of carbohydrates and make you full for a long time. Due to their high water content, they are also very low in calories.
In addition, potatoes contain a lot of protein, potassium, magnesium and iron. But also vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin C. The tuber also contains folic acid. This supports cell renewal.
The potato is one of the alkaline foods. These have a positive effect on the body in contrast to acid-forming foods.
In case of gastrointestinal complaints, mashed potatoes can even have a calming effect. It is easily digestible and the starch content binds acids and toxins.
Did you know that you can cook potatoes in the microwave?
How to properly store potato
Already at the time of purchase, you should make sure that the potato has no green spots. This is because the tubers often lie for days in bright lighting in the supermarkets. Thus, they develop solanine already there.
To make the potatoes last as long as possible, they are often sprayed with chemicals. Therefore, go for untreated tubers. With organic potatoes you can be pretty sure that they have not been chemically treated.
But there are not only things to consider when buying. Proper storage is the be-all and end-all.
It is best to store the tubers in a cool, frost-free, dry and dark cellar. This way you can prevent rotting and solanine formation.
Early potatoes should be cooked and eaten as soon as possible. All other potato varieties will keep for several months if stored properly. However, if you want to eat raw potatoes, use freshly bought ones.
The correct preparation of the potatoes
Potatoes should always be processed gently. It is best to steam or cook them. This prevents the nutrients and vital substances from being lost.
You can cook potatoes as you like. Whether with skin or without. The advantage of cooking potatoes with the skin is that all the important vitamins and nutrients remain in the tuber. If you peel the potato beforehand, these are all gone.
You can eat the skin, of course. Older potatoes that are already sprouting should be peeled.
Tip: For more potato dishes check out the cookbook "Delicious Potato Recipes". You can order it from Amazon.
Our conclusion
Eating raw potatoes is not particularly healthy and does not taste very good. However, the raw tubers are only toxic when eaten in large quantities.
So the answer is yes, you can eat an uncooked potato, but you won't get much pleasure from it.
So if you have ever eaten a raw potato, you have no reason to worry. The 15 to 20 minutes cooking time you should give the small power tubers but. Tastes much better, believe me :)
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