Jersey Royal
| Potato'Jersey Royals' | |
|---|---|
 'Jersey Royals', raw | |
| Genus | Solanum |
| Species | Solanum tuberosum |
| Variety | International Kidney |
| Cultivar | 'Jersey Royal' |
| Origin | Jersey |
TheJersey Royalis the marketing name of a type ofpotatogrown inJerseywhich has aProtected Designation of Origin.The potatoes are of the variety known asInternational Kidneyand are typically grown as anew potato.[1]
History[edit]
In around 1878 a Jersey farmer, Hugh de la Haye, showed friends a large potato that he had bought. It had 15 'eyes': points from which new plants sprout. They cut this potato into pieces, which they planted in acôtil(a steeply sloping field) above the Bellozanne valley. One plant produced kidney-shaped potatoes, with a paper-thin skin, which they called theJersey Royal Fluke.This was later shortened to 'Jersey Royal'.[2]
Present day[edit]
In modern times, the Jersey Royal is Jersey's biggest crop export, accounting for around 70% of agricultural turnover.[3]Ninety-nine percent of production is exported to theUnited Kingdom.
In 2012, 28,600 tonnes of the potato, worth £28.6m, were exported from the island. This figure was down from 30,890 tonnes in 2011.[4]
Under theCommon Agricultural Policyof theEuropean UnionJersey Royals are covered by aProtected Designation of Origin(PDO).[5][6]
References[edit]
- ^Redcliffe N. Salaman; William Glynn Burton (21 November 1985).The History and Social Influence of the Potato.Cambridge University Press. p. 167.ISBN978-0-521-31623-1.
- ^"Jersey Royal"[usurped],This is Jersey,accessed 18 January 2009.
- ^"No 'small potatoes' for marketing",BBC News,1 April 2008.
- ^"BBC News - Jersey Royal potato exports fall".BBC News.12 October 2013.Retrieved12 October2013.
- ^"Policy paper Protected food name: Jersey royal potatoes (PDO)".London:TSO.7 August 2007.Retrieved16 March2015.
- ^Jersey Royal
