“La Difusión Del Cultivo De La Patata En Portugal, siglos XV-XIX” in Obradoiro de Historia Moderna,

Abstract

In this paper we propose to present information concerning the production of potatoes from seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. We present the process of the slow diffusion of the plant throughout the country; we analyze the policies concerning the promotion of potato cultivation for animal and human feed; finally we present a case study: the process of diffusion of the potatoes in the region of Coimbra, from the coast to the highlands of the interior. Keywords: Portugal, Coimbra region, potatoes.