When did potatoes become unpopular?

Potatoes have gone from nation-building superfoods to national pariahs. Why?

This week, the US Congress foiled plans to limit the amount of potatoes served in school lunches. Rules proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated that potatoes, along with other starchy vegetables like corn, peas, and lima beans, could be served in school cafeterias only twice a week.

A Senate amendment passed on Tuesday, however, forbade the USDA from imposing such restrictions.

It was a small victory in an era when the potato is often under attack.

"Carbohydrate-rich foods in general have been vilified unfairly, and potatoes are the latest target,"says dietician Elisa Zied, author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips.

In 2007, Americans ate 20% fewer potatoes than they did in 1997, according to a report from the United States Potato Board. In the UK, potato consumption decreased by 7.8% between 2005 and 2008.

It was not always this way. The potato used to be considered something of a wonder food. Grown originally in South America, its introduction to Europe literally transformed agriculture.