The History of Mashed Potatoes by Mental Floss

A recent YouTube video published by the channel Mental Floss discusses the history of mashed potatoes, a favorite holiday side dish. To learn more about it, watch the video below.

“Why did the French pass a law against potatoes in the 1700s? What insight did human beings glean from wild animals about how to consume poisonous potatoes? And what’s the secret to a recipe for mashed potatoes that aren’t lumpy or gluey? Justin Dodd will answer those questions and more in this pilot episode of Food History,” the video description reads.

Click play below to learn about the earliest mash potato recipes and about all the science that was required to make instant mashed potatoes a possibility.

Mental Floss has a new series called Food History in which they share interesting and intriguing stories about the common foods we eat today. You can submit an idea for a dish or cuisine you’d like them to explore in the comments below their videos.