Prugnona Quarantina Potato
Production Area: All the inland of Liguria.
Curiosities: When it reached the Old Continent, the potato was not immediately included among the horticultural products. It took years before it was exploited in cooking. This depended on the fact that its flowers are similar to the flowers of poisonous plants and on the mistaken knowledge of the edible parts of the tuber and their use.
We owe the diffusion of the potato in cooking to Antoine Augustine Parmentier (1763-1813) who, in agreement with King Louis XVI, decided to sow potatoes in the outskirts of Paris: the cultivated area was watched over during the day with the aim to incite thefts during the night and, as a consequence, to promote the diffusion of the cultivation. It was during the siege of Genova in 1799 that the French introduced the use of potato among Genovesi. After a few years, potatoes became the protagonists of the local historical dishes and often replaced the main ingredients.
Features: Prugnona Potato of Montagna Genovese, also called Brignonn-a, Brugeua, Rossa, Quäntinn-a viola, has the peel with the characteristic dark violet color recalling the color of plums. Round and spherical tuber, with a violet-liliac color and cream-colored streaks, it has a white flesh and very thin consistency; violet buds, rather deep; indigo blue flower. The taste is delicate, it is well-resistant to cooking, and is ideal to prepare stewed dishes.
Brief cultivation information: Early variety with good preservation features. Intermediate-low yield.
