Potato

I sleep under a cozy blanket of dirt, all warm and snug. I am lumpy and bumpy and wear a brown, dusty coat. When it's time, people dig me up with their hands, like a hidden treasure found in the earth! Can you guess what I am? I am a Potato! Hello there! I might look like a simple, round friend, but I have traveled all over the big, wide world just to meet you.

My story started a very, very, very long time ago, between 8000 BCE and 5000 BCE. I was high up in the big Andes Mountains of South America. The Inca people were my first friends. They helped me grow in their gardens. They knew I was a special food that could keep their tummies full and happy for a long, long time. Then, one day around the year 1536, some explorers from Spain sailed across the big, blue ocean in their ships and found me! They thought I was so interesting. They took me back with them to a new place called Europe. At first, the people there thought I looked a bit funny with my bumpy skin and they were not sure if they should eat me.

But soon, everyone learned how yummy and helpful I am. I am a great friend for your tummy! Today, I am one of the most popular foods in the whole wide world. You can bake me until I am warm and soft. You can mash me up like a fluffy cloud. You can boil me or even turn me into crispy french fries! I come in all sorts of pretty colors, like red, yellow, and even purple! I love being on your plate, giving you lots of energy to run, jump, and play. So next time you eat a yummy potato, remember my long journey to get to your kitchen!