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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Stefanie Dazio and Fanny Brodersen

Many Germans believe Frederick the Great brought potatoes to the country. It’s not true

Germany Prussia King Charles III
A woman takes a photo of herself as she places a potato on the grave stone of King Frederick II of Prussia, in the park of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Generations of Germans credit Frederick the Great with introducing the beloved potato to the nation, but the popular legend reveals a surprising twist: the 18th-century Prussian monarch had to resort to cunning to convince his subjects to embrace the tuber.

Despite potatoes having arrived in Europe from South America in the 16th century, the people of Prussia, a region that would later form part of a united Germany, were initially reluctant to consume the new crop. Faced with this resistance, King Frederick II devised an ingenious plan.

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