94 



Preparation of Dried Potatoes. 



The Preparation and Use of Dried Potatoes.* 



Enquiries have been recently made concerning the preparation 

 and use of dried potatoes in Great Britain. Particulars re- 

 lating to this subject are not readily accessible, and it has 

 been considered desirable, therefore, to publish the following 

 summary of the information collected by the Imperial Institute 

 with reference to the use of dried potatoes in this and other 

 countries. 



Dried vegetables and fruits are employed to a very much 

 greater extent in Germany than in Great Britain, chiefly owing 

 to the fact that supplies of fresh produce cannot be obtained 

 there all the year round as in this country. Desiccated 

 vegetables have become, in fact, a staple article of food in 

 Germany, being regularly supplied to the army and navy, and 

 they are also extensively employed in the mercantile marine 

 and in the German Colonies. With special reference to 

 potatoes, it appears that in Germany one-half of the annual 

 crop, which in 1 901 amounted to 48,687,000 metric tons, is 

 consumed directly as human food, and large quantities are also 

 utilised for feeding stock. In these circumstances considerable 

 attention has been devoted to the desiccation of potatoes, 

 thereby enabling them to be stored without loss of nutritive 

 properties for a much longer period than the raw produce, and 

 during recent years great improvements have been effected in 

 the desiccating process. 



In America a considerable demand has also arisen for supplies 

 of desiccated vegetables in the various mining districts, and, 

 consequently, their manufacture has been commenced in Canada 

 and the United States. A few years ago large samples of six 

 different varieties, including potatoes, prepared in Ontario, were 

 forwarded to the Imperial Institute and were transmitted to the 

 War Office for trial. 



The forms in which dried potatoes are usually prepared are 

 (1) slices or chips, and (2) granules or groats. The former 

 variety does not appear to be prepared in Great Britain, 



* Advance copy of an article to appear in the Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, 

 No. 2. 



