Aug 19, 2024Survey reveals preferences to highlight National Potato Day
In honor of National Potato Day, Aug. 19, the National Today data science team surveyed 1,000 people to drill down into spud specifics.
The survey found that curly fries top the fried potato list, with 22% preferring the style. Nearly half of the respondents (46%) picked Lay’s as their favorite brand of chips, while 34% gave the nod to McDonald’s as their favorite fast food fry source.
French fries (16%) were also picked as the top potato recipe, narrowly edging out mashed potatoes (15%).
The Incas are believed to have cultivated the first potatoes in Peru around 10,000 years ago. Brought to Europe by Spanish Conquistadors in 1536, potatoes were introduced to Ireland in 1589 by Sir Walter Raleigh. It took nearly four decades for spuds to spread to the rest of Europe, where farmers found them easier to grow and cultivate than crops such as wheat and oats, with the capacity to feed more people with less acreage.
In 1802, spuds made a big splash in America, when Thomas Jefferson served french-fried potatoes at the White House. By 1856, the term french-fried potatoes had caught on in the New World — good news, perhaps, for all but the 0.8% of folks in the National Today survey who do not like french fries.
