A Paucity of Potatoes

Too many or too few potatoes that has been the situation facing producers and consumers forever. This show uses our collections to explore the subject of scarcity of spuds or substituting them to save wheat supplies for allied troops and food insecure Belgians and in parts of northern France during WW 1. The occupying German forces stole the people's potatoes and other supplies to feed themselves and folks back home. This left a large portion of the Belgian and Northern French people to starve. Fortunately, early in the war, neutral Americans, led by Herbert Hoover, implemented a massive food relief effort that distributed wheat, beans and other non-perishable foods through a complicated network of community food banks and kitchens.

The potato was used in various troop recruitment campaigns by both the German and British governments.

Americans were urged to eat more potatoes, saving the wheat supplies for starving Europeans.

The French and British were encouraged to grow and consume more potatoes as their supply of wheat from overseas colonies was curtailed by the German navy blockading their ports.

The British soon ran short of potatoes which were also going to feed their troops in France. Potato free days were instituted and the population was encouraged to grow more potatoes and find substitutes for spuds and other rationed items such as sugar, coffee and tea.

English publishers produced a series of cartoon post cards featuring potatoes for people to send to friends as an amusing substitute.

Once potatoes were no longer rationed, another round of potato-themed cards were produced with the spud heads lamenting how they are now, once again, taken for granted.

The defeated Germans experienced food insecurity and economic distress with local communities printing "notgeld" local paper currency with scenes of people harvesting and trading potatoes.

World War II also saw potatoes involved in the war effort.

The Potato Museum started in 1975 as a research project for my 5th grade students at the International School of Brussels, Belgium. We were inspired after learning that Belgian families had to grow their own potatoes as the commercial supply was confiscated by the Germans during the first World War. We were inspired to continue and expand the potato project a year later when a massive shortage of potatoes due to fluctuations in climate in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe made headlines and caused spikes in the consumer price index. Potatoes were once again rationed and prices for a single potato exceeded citrus fruits. Students involved in what became known as The Potato Museum project knew that the nutritious and versatile potato was undervalued and certainly deserved to be celebrated and not taken for granted.