Yes, I love soccer, don't be too surprised.
Hapoel or Maccabi? At this stage, I prefer to maintain neutrality and use the grand derby of Tel Aviv as a metaphor for the question I am pondering today: red or yellow potatoes?
And what is the difference between them? I know it's also common to call the yellow potato 'white'. But what are the advantages of each?
Let's start with a disclaimer: today, there are hundreds of potato varieties. This fact in itself is wonderful and even essential, as I'll explain later. When we talk about red or yellow potatoes, we are primarily referring to their skin, but in reality, there are many red varieties as well as yellow varieties that differ in many other characteristics.
Therefore, the comparison here will focus on the red potato variety common in Israel – the Désirée variety (which, by the way, was developed in the Netherlands), and the general category of yellow potatoes (where you can find various varieties even in Israel).
But first, why is diversity in potato varieties so important? For that, let's travel back to 19th-century Ireland to a terrible historical story. As you may recall, potatoes arrived in Europe in the 16th century following the discovery of America. One of the places where this nutritious root was adopted was Ireland.
The majority of Ireland's population was agrarian, paying high rents to English landlords who often had little regard for the Irish, and seldom set foot on Irish land. By the late 18th century, the Irish population depended entirely on the cultivation of potatoes for both trading and nutritional security.
In 1846, a potato fungus called blight spread in Ireland, causing a catastrophic famine known as the “Great Potato Famine”. The lack of variety in the cultivation of potatoes in Ireland contributed to the spread of late blight, and the consequences were dire.
Approximately a million Irish people died of starvation, another two million emigrated to America, forming the basis for the establishment of the large Irish community in the U.S..
Now, back to our derby and the main difference between the “reds” and the “yellows”. Reds, typically, contain less water, resulting in a firmer and drier texture, while yellows/whites contain more liquid and tend to be mushier. So, which is better? It depends on how you intend to use the potatoes.
If you'd like to fry chips or roast potatoes in the oven, the reds (less moist) are more suitable. On the other hand, if you're looking for mashed or boiled potatoes, the yellows with their softer texture are more appropriate.
So, which do I prefer, the reds or the yellows?
You'll have to hold back your excitement or look for clues. As for potato colors, the only thing I'm willing to be adamant about – and I apologize to Maccabi Haifa fans – stay away from the greens! If a potato has a green hue, don't eat it; discard it (or plant it in a pot and grow your own potato plant), because the green color comes from a toxin that you definitely don't want in your body.
Besides that, it's winter now, and it's raining outside, so prepare yourself a pot of potato soup or stew and drive carefully.
