Eskimo or Indian Potato (masu in Iñupiaq), commonly known as alpine sweet vetch, refers to the root of the plant that is dug up and eaten by Alaska Native people throughout the state. Eskimo/Indian potatoes are also found as part of the “mouse food” cache that is often harvested by humans. Eskimo/Indian potatoes are usually eaten fried, or cut up and preserved in seal oil.
The alpine sweet vetch plant (Hedysarum alpinum) bears close resemblance to the sweet pea plant (Hedysarum mackenzii) and the bear root plant, parts of which can cause stomach problems or be poisonous if consumed. So it is important to be extra careful when harvesting eskimo/indian potato, and to consult a plant expert or book before digging up the plant.
Listen to Mary Hobson, Denaina Athabascan from Nondalton, Alaska, talk about digging, storing and eating roots. Or read the transcript (ORAL HISTORY 98-27-22, Side B).
Indian potato is a common name for several plants and may refer to: Apios americana, a terrestrial plant native to eastern North America. Orogenia, a formerly recognized plant genus native to western North America, now included in Lomatium. Sagittaria latifolia, an aquatic plant native to North and South America.
Because of the prolific growth of the vines and the tubers, I grew groundnuts in raised beds 6-by-3 feet and 2 feet tall in pots 2 feet in diameter and 10 inches tall for three years to make observations on growth and production. During the first year, tubers grew about an inch in diameter. Two years after planting, they reached the size of a goose egg.
Groundnut is a perennial herbaceous plant that climbs over other vegetation in natural stands forming dense thickets, but can be trained as a vine on an arbor or trellis in gardens. The edible parts of the plant are the tubers and seeds. The tubers are connected by slender rhizomes, forming a necklace-like appearance, and they look and taste like regular potatoes. They can be harvested any time of the year but are at their best in late fall through winter. They can be consumed raw or cooked but taste better cooked. The seeds taste and look like beans or peas, and in Missouri are harvested in the fall and cooked like peas. The attractive salmon-pink flowers appear in late summer.
One of our more obscure native edibles, the groundnut (also known as hopniss, wild potato, Indian potato, Dakota peas and sea vines) was eaten long before the coming of Christopher Columbus and has been studied for its potential for domestication as a crop.
When grown in raised beds, rhizomes can find their way out of the bed, so if aggressiveness is a concern it is recommended to cover the bottom of raised beds with a water permeable material like weed barrier. Several layers of cardboard can provide good results too. Groundnuts developed really well and produced nice looking tubers in both pots and beds, but it was much easier to harvest in pots. Every year now, I harvest the larger tubers for consumption and replant the little ones for my next crop.
Groundnut (Apios americana) can be confused with other edible legumes, such as non-native peanuts (Arachis hypogaea — also called groundnuts in some places), native wild turnip (Pediomelum esculentum) and hog peanut (Amphicarpea bracteata). The Flora of Missouri is a great source to learn to tell these legumes apart.
Eskimo or Indian Potato (masu in Iñupiaq), commonly known as alpine sweet vetch, refers to the root of the plant that is dug up and eaten by Alaska Native people throughout the state. Eskimo/Indian potatoes are also found as part of the “mouse food” cache that is often harvested by humans. Eskimo/Indian potatoes are usually eaten fried, or cut up and preserved in seal oil.
Listen to Mary Hobson, Denaina Athabascan from Nondalton, Alaska, talk about digging, storing and eating roots. Or read the transcript (ORAL HISTORY 98-27-22, Side B).
The alpine sweet vetch plant (Hedysarum alpinum) bears close resemblance to the sweet pea plant (Hedysarum mackenzii) and the bear root plant, parts of which can cause stomach problems or be poisonous if consumed. So it is important to be extra careful when harvesting eskimo/indian potato, and to consult a plant expert or book before digging up the plant.
Bombay Potatoes | Spiced Indian Potatoes
FAQ
What is the Indian name for potato?
What potatoes are in India?
|
Cultivar
|
Yea of Release
|
Region of adaptability
|
|
Kufri Neela
|
1963
|
South Indian hills
|
|
Kufri Sindhuri*
|
1967
|
North Indian plains
|
|
Kufri Alankar
|
1968
|
North Indian plains
|
|
Kufri Chamatkar
|
1968
|
North Indian plains & Plateau region
|
What is the native name for potatoes?
Are Indian potatoes edible?
What does Indian potato taste like?
Indian Potato is a wetland plant native to North America with arrow-shaped leaves, white flowers, and potato-like tubers. Underground tubers taste somewhere between a sweet potato and yam, with sweet chestnut notes. These tubers have smooth orange-ish flesh and an amazing flavor.
What is the best type of potato?
Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, a source of iron, vitamins E, A and C and potassium. The tuber has five times more calcium, twice as much fiber and more potassium than the potato helps to lose weight. Due to its low glycemic index, it helps burn fat and gain muscle mass.
Do Indians eat potatoes?
The roots resemble potatoes, and were boiled by the Indians, who eat them instead of bread. . . . the Indians who live further in the country do not only eat these roots, which are equal in goodness to potatoes, but likewise take the pease which lie in the pods of this plant, and prepare them like common pease.”
Where do Indian potatoes live?
Indian Potato’s wild home is in ponds, marshes, forest seeps, stream shallows, or similar wet areas throughout North America (standing water less than 12 inches deep). It is often found alongside Cattail, Panicled Bulrush, and other native wetland species.