304121 Fri Jun 23 16:58:39 -0700 2006 63 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1709456 All my life I've heard of folks who eat potatoes raw, like apples. And while my love for the spudly is second to no one's, I'm starting to suspect it's a myth. Is there anyone out there who actually does this? I mean: picks up a potato and eats it like an apple (peeling being permitted)? ciao Fri Jun 23 16:58:39 -0700 2006 0 Jim Leff 1 1709457 I have tried it and I simply can't get past the horrible pastiness of the starch. Blech. I have never seen anyone eat a potato like an apple. I think you are correct about it being a myth. Fri Jun 23 17:07:30 -0700 2006 1709456 0 Seth Chadwick 2 1709459 My kids do it. I can't bear the taste, but they learned it from their mother, and eat raw potatoes all the time. Turnips ... I like those better raw than cooked. Fri Jun 23 17:11:35 -0700 2006 1709457 0 Kirk 3 2601243 Oh, turnips. Turnips rule. Raw or cooked, dressed or naked. Thank God my family likes them, so I have an excuse to keep them in the pantry weekly. Fri May 25 07:49:03 -0700 2007 1709459 49959 thegolferbitch 2 3093465 i eat raw potatoes all the time. I love them, i do just literally pick one up, wash it then eat it. Sun Nov 04 06:39:09 -0800 2007 1709457 140112 spudman 1 1709458 I've seen my mother eat raw potato. Usually a slice or two while making some dish. But never like an apple. Fri Jun 23 17:11:19 -0700 2006 1709456 0 Cpt. Wafer 1 1709460 To quote an post below: "ewww!" Laurie Fri Jun 23 17:21:43 -0700 2006 1709456 0 sivyaleah 1 1709461 have you ever tried the chinese potato dishes that are stir fried? (sometimes on "mao menus) they are still rather crisp and not really to my taste. Fri Jun 23 17:22:00 -0700 2006 1709456 0 jen kalb 2 1709469 Old Mandarin Islamic in San Francisco (where I assume Jim Leff still is) makes stir-fried potatoes that are almost raw. More like a salad than a starch. Startling but good. Fri Jun 23 18:28:27 -0700 2006 1709461 0 Robert Lauriston 2 1709545 I don't like potatoes "rare" either. Raw or cooked, is ok. Sat Jun 24 01:39:11 -0700 2006 1709461 10087 Pat Hammond 2 4161460 Jen, I know the dish you are talking about. It is McDonalds-fry-size potato strips quickly stir-fried with scallions, garlic, vinegar, and lots of black pepper, and I find it delicious. The potatoes are a little hard, but it is a long way from raw, which is disgusting. Mon Nov 10 07:40:20 -0800 2008 1709461 149565 RealMenJulienne 1 1709465 Used to eat raw potato when I was a kid. Peeled & sliced with salt & pepper. It's been decades ago, so I don't know how it would strike me now. Fri Jun 23 18:07:38 -0700 2006 1709456 0 Chimayo Joe 1 1709466 I do it! I love the crunch and the flavor and don't find the starchiness too strong. Fri Jun 23 18:10:24 -0700 2006 1709456 0 kim shook 1 1709468 Really fresh new potatoes are okay raw, but better cooked. Fri Jun 23 18:27:01 -0700 2006 1709456 0 Robert Lauriston 1 1709538 I haven't done this in years, but I used to love a slice of raw potato with sugar sprinked on it. Sat Jun 24 01:32:05 -0700 2006 1709456 10087 Pat Hammond 2 1709904 I do the same, but with salt. When I was little, my mom would always give me a little piece of salted raw potato when she was cutting them up for dinner. Sat Jun 24 09:52:12 -0700 2006 1709538 11035 boy_asunder 3 4314344 Same here. I learned it from my dad. My mom still gives him a piece of potato when she's cooking them. He sprinkles on the salt and chows down. Sat Jan 10 13:28:03 -0800 2009 1709904 253542 cycloneillini 1 1709640 I don't cut them like apples but if I'm peeling them for mashed potatoes, I always eat some of the pieces raw. Sat Jun 24 03:06:23 -0700 2006 1709456 10695 Velma 1 1709831 I used to like them raw as a kid, but then as a teen I developed allergies to certain raw fruits and most especially root vegetables. Now I have to peel potatos under running water so I don't have an asthma attack. So I haven't eaten them raw in decades. Sat Jun 24 06:15:13 -0700 2006 1709456 10732 JMF 1 1710853 It's not a myth. In China raw potato in julienne cut is a common dish: usually mixed with some vinegar and sesame oil. It's crispy, not starchy. Served chilled it's refreshing in the summer. In the US, most Sichuan restaurants offer this dish, though maybe not as good as in China. While we're comparing it to eating apples..imagine if someone gives you as your first apple ever: a supermarket waxy, milly red delicious..you probably wouldn't ask for an apple anytime soon. Most supermarket potatos wouldn't be fresh enough to eat raw. And pardon me as I ramble, but I'm just reminded of how full of flavor and crunch a fresh water chestnut tasted when i was in Hong Kong...wow! I would never had been able to gather that from the canned ones we usually get in Chinese foods! Sun Jun 25 03:48:48 -0700 2006 1709456 10422 HLing 1 1710884 Ok, weird, BUT...If I handle raw potatoes, peeled, the palms of my hands itch uncontrollably for some time. So the thought of ingesting said raw spuds is less than appealing. Sun Jun 25 04:16:10 -0700 2006 1709456 11802 ClaireLiz 2 1711018 If you have a topical reaction to "raw spuds", eating them could be downright dangerous! JMF mentions he's allergic to some fruit and root vegetables, potatoes included. Sun Jun 25 11:29:04 -0700 2006 1710884 10087 Pat Hammond 2 4157385 im late on this one but I'd imagine your hands itching is caused by the alkalinity of potatoes ever heard of lye? also known as potash and other names... compare the effect to skin(keep in mind the much lesser alkalinity of a potato compared to lye). and now u know.... Fri Nov 07 19:57:59 -0800 2008 1710884 238226 eskeme22 2 4314923 The same thing happens to me - usually only if I'm peeling lots of potatoes (more than 3 or 4). I asked my allergist about it one time. He said the reaction is a somewhat common allergy to one or more of the uncooked proteins in the potato. I've never had any issues eating cooked potatoes (and I eat them quite a bit!) but the thought of eating one raw knowing what they can do to my hands makes me a little squeemish. Cooking denatures proteins, changing their structure, so it makes sense that one could be allergic to the uncooked protein but not the cooked protein. Sat Jan 10 17:47:31 -0800 2009 1710884 153129 Antithesisofpop 1 1711403 The fresh new potatoes we get in our CSA box are so unlike regular potatoes they're almost like a different vegetable. Less starchy, texture's more like a juicy young radish or turnip. Sun Jun 25 18:32:57 -0700 2006 1709456 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2599760 Yes, I do that! If they're cured (hard brown skin, the kind usually sold in America) I usually peel them, but for non-cured (soft, tan skin) I leave the skin on. And I'll just wash it and eat a whole one myself, checking carefully for green spots, which you must remove along with the surrounding areas if found, or better yet, just cook that particular potato, as those parts contain the highest concentration of glycoalkaloids, which can be broken down by cooking but are poisonous in raw potatoes. So it's a culinary delight I partake in cautiously. Thu May 24 15:52:26 -0700 2007 1709456 100886 blackbyrus 2 2603207 cured potatoes? never heard of that. i am an avid fan of all things cured, fermented, and/or pickled though so please let us know what you are referring to. Fri May 25 18:31:03 -0700 2007 2599760 42755 ben61820 3 2627809 "Cured" in this case means the skin is thickened and tanned: it's the difference between a new potato and one that can be stored. Can't abide raw potato, myself--in fact the co-op has a blackboard where someone writes a food-related thought of the day and recently there was a quote from James Beard to the effect that there's no vegetable that's not better for being slightly undercooked. I raised my hand and said "Potatoes!" Mon Jun 04 10:22:39 -0700 2007 2603207 96587 cmkdvs 2 3680157 Wikipedia on "potato" says: "Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, toxic compounds, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Cooking at high temperatures (over 170 °C or 340 °F) partly destroys these. " So I guess normal 100 C boiling does not suffice anyway? Steam pan required? Mon May 12 13:59:53 -0700 2008 2599760 191667 vsalmens 1 2600385 There is a restaurant here, or used to be, that makes a raw potato "salad". They shred the potato on this contraption that is sort of a cross between a mandolin and an apple corer. The shredded potato is dressed with an oil and vinegar dressing. I was skeptical, but it was really pretty good. Thu May 24 19:47:49 -0700 2007 1709456 57890 KaimukiMan 2 2629660 Are you talking about Angelo Pietro on Kapiolani? I tried it on my Honolulu trip last fall (had a free coupon) and liked it. I was also skeptical, because I remember that awfully starchy mouth feel from trying raw potato as a kid. This was more like daikon. Mon Jun 04 18:01:34 -0700 2007 2600385 14041 Debbie M 1 2600956 I don't, but I knew a guy in college who always kept one in his car - swore that if he got pulled over taking a couple bites would fool the breathalizer. Can't remember his explanation of why he thought that was a good idea - I don't think it made a lot of sense to me even then. ;-) Fri May 25 05:55:32 -0700 2007 1709456 65780 jujuthomas 1 2601318 Nope that's what jicama is for. It seems like a potato made for eating raw. Fri May 25 08:17:30 -0700 2007 1709456 59951 thinks too much 2 2624603 I sometimes eat raw potatoes with a little salt! Peeled and eyes, green peel etc. I used to do this when I was a kid. Read on a natural website that they were good for "heart burn" Hey, it works! Within 5 minutes of eating about a half a small peeled raw Idaho potato, heart burn is history!! Beats taking pills that are not good for you. Sat Jun 02 21:24:25 -0700 2007 2601318 102798 jroof 1 2627757 I ate them as a kid - not whole potatoes, but a slice here and there while my mother was preparing them for cooking. Haven't done it since, but I remember liking both the ccrunch and flavor. Also raw hamburger, which has given me a taste for steak tartare. In both cases my mom didn't want me eating too much of them but thought a little bit was OK. Mon Jun 04 10:07:43 -0700 2007 1709456 14386 BobB 2 2628167 My SO likes to sneak a couple slices of raw potatoes and sprinkle them with salt. He loves it - I don't. When my dad would come home with fresh hamburger from the butchers, he would mix up a bit of raw meat, some onion and salt, and we would have it on saltines! Yum! Mon Jun 04 11:44:11 -0700 2007 2627757 80937 danhole 1 2628950 Years ago, I had a new potato salad at Au Jour d'hui in Boston. It was fairly expensive (about 15 years ago and it was about $20). It was...okay. Nice presentation, but potatoes are too starchy for me to eat raw. For anyone who read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the girl talks about how paying for a raw apple was a waste of money because raw potatoes tasted the same and they were much cheaper. Mon Jun 04 14:30:13 -0700 2007 1709456 39874 chowser 1 2629678 It's not unheard of. My mom swears she ate them raw, like apples, the whole time she was pregnant with me. Does this explain my quirky palate?! Mon Jun 04 18:08:01 -0700 2007 1709456 38157 equilibrist 1 2634973 yes, i eat them a few pieces here and there when preparing them for cooking - not a whole raw one like an apple though. i also like to eat raw green beans (picked right from the plant). Wed Jun 06 09:46:35 -0700 2007 1709456 51618 hitachino 2 3143110 Raw green beans are the best! It's the reason why I didn't mind harvesting them for my gran :) Tue Nov 20 13:15:06 -0800 2007 2634973 112034 spellweaver16 1 3096530 When my mother would cut up potatoes for fries, we kids would sometimes eat a piece or two raw; so would the cat, which I found really strange. Mon Nov 05 10:17:27 -0800 2007 1709456 98500 Bat Guano 1 3135199 aww I am sure alot of us have the very fond memory of our mommies lettin us nibble on a piece of raw potato... this thread brought back good memories thanks guys! :) -shawn Sat Nov 17 23:10:52 -0800 2007 1709456 143843 Shawn McQuaid 1 3137989 I can't but for some reason, my dog loves them. As soon as the peel is off and she hears the knife slice, she is under my feet just waiting for a crunchy treat! Mon Nov 19 06:46:48 -0800 2007 1709456 109812 crosby_p 1 3138075 Some potatoes (e.g. baking) are just way too starchy to be eaten raw, but I'll eat a few raw pieces of not so starchy potato sometimes if I'm cutting some up for a dish. I hated the taste the first couple times I tried it, but it grew on me quickly. Mon Nov 19 07:16:33 -0800 2007 1709456 75881 vorpal 1 3138173 Everytime I peel them to cook I eat at least 1/2 of one! I love them. Mon Nov 19 07:42:47 -0800 2007 1709456 90146 Jen_in_NJ 1 3531112 Yes, I like raw potatoes, But I like to dip it a little in salt which makes it more paletable. My mother used to give me slices of potato when she would be peeling them for making mashed potatoes in the 60's. I rarely eat the peels raw, but peeled thick they make great french fries. Wed Mar 26 17:00:39 -0700 2008 1709456 178256 garyp 1 3532627 Quoting Helen Nearing (wife of Scott Nearing) in the whole Earth Review, Winter 1994: "I served raw potato sandwiches to members of my garden club. I sliced the potatoes very thin and they thought it was very delicious until they knew they were eating raw potato." Thu Mar 27 07:57:37 -0700 2008 1709456 17015 bob192 1 3532913 A favorite childhood treat was a freshly scrubbed from-the-garden sweet red potato, a fresh-from-the-garden sweet red onion, and a salt shaker.. my cousins and I ate this like apples. I make a crunchy salad like this.. lightly steamed and still crunchy jullienned strips of new-potato, tossed with lightly sugar & salt macerated red onion, mashed garlic, some green olives, sweet orange chunks, black pepper, torn parsley, olive oil, and a mixture of balsamic and wine vinegar. This works nicely with a piece of fatty pork or beef. Thu Mar 27 09:07:00 -0700 2008 1709456 172760 fromagina 1 3532999 U sued to do it all the time. When my mom would cut up potatoes for fries, she would soak them in salt and water. My siblings and I would regularly munch on these salty raw potatoe sticks... Thu Mar 27 09:23:18 -0700 2008 1709456 24648 Sean 1 3533135 I love raw potato, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one! I don't eat the whole like apples, but everytime I cook with potatoes I eat quite a few pieces before they go intot the pot. Thu Mar 27 09:49:58 -0700 2008 1709456 74556 manraysky 1 3533467 I like raw potatoes but raw SWEET potatoes (yams) are my favorite. I eat them all the time...just peel and eat like an apple. Thu Mar 27 11:02:01 -0700 2008 1709456 147969 kmills9408 1 3578515 I use raw potato in my juicer, but I am not sure the nutritional benefit of adding potato juice. I just throw it in there along with whatever other vegetables I have on hand. I figure it wont hurt, and the ginger I add to my juice mix is so powerful I would not be able to say what fresh potato juice tastes like! Wed Apr 09 15:10:17 -0700 2008 1709456 139265 Cookiepants 1 3579523 I wonder if it makes a difference what kind of potato you're eating raw. Any takers? I've never been tempted, myself, but if there really are varietals out there that taste like jicama, I could be persuaded to try! Wed Apr 09 20:41:15 -0700 2008 1709456 64215 cimui 1 3579872 Yes my husband loves raw potatoes. I usually have to peel and extra 1 or 2 for him to munch on.they have to be peeled tho. Thu Apr 10 01:45:18 -0700 2008 1709456 180068 Smileelisa 1 3878383 It's no myth, I love raw potatoes, and prefer them to roast potatoes. All they need to do is be peeled and washed :) Although I've heard that they aren't good for your health; but I seem perfectly fine. Thu Jul 17 14:42:21 -0700 2008 1709456 210740 sophy_17 1 3930178 I eat them raw and have my entire life. My grandmother and I would snack on raw potatoes together from as far back as I can remember. Mon Aug 04 18:49:59 -0700 2008 1709456 103183 shelbyeileen 1 3930329 I haven't eaten a raw potato since I was a kid, but I assure you, it's not a myth. My family and I loved to sprinkle the raw slices or wedges with salt and snack on them. Yum! Mon Aug 04 19:51:23 -0700 2008 1709456 193343 MangosSurpriseMe 1 4160236 Not necessarily for love of the taste of raw potatoes...but my Grandmother swore by it as a cure for heartburn Sun Nov 09 14:30:50 -0800 2008 1709456 153184 im_nomad 1 4161473 I used to eat them when I was a kid, with salt on them. Mon Nov 10 07:45:47 -0800 2008 1709456 12130 malibumike 1 4163882 I can't even peel potatoes without plastic gloves on. My hands swell and turn red. Even the essence of the juice as I peel them makes me wheezy. BUT I can eat them cooked with no problem. Anyone else like this? Tue Nov 11 04:15:49 -0800 2008 1709456 10147 michele cindy 1 4312307 I believe most of you bloggers here MUST be from areas where there are no family gardens. During Potato pick up every year the pin knives are passed along with the salt shaker!! And no decent pan of potatoes are peeled for any dish that hands aren't slapped cause of the sneaking into the tatoes raw!! We eat turnips raw also. Most people I know peel the potato, But just to really "Freak" you out-check this out- I have iron deficient anemia so severe I have to have IV Therapy at least once a year. I can tell when My iron levels are falling and how fast according to the amount of raw potatoes I crave, When I'm really bad I rather have a raw potato than any other food in the world! I can go through 20-30 lbs. of raw potatoes a week. I keep them in fridge in sealable bowl under water. I hate when they have been in cold storage!! But I crave the "musty, musky " flavor with lots of salt!! Also I crave to smell like a root cellar. I am attended by Johns Hopkins Hospital and other specialist who find this a definitie funny yet legitimate craving each stating the same thing I lack "pica" in my nutrients-which is no more than "DIRT"!!! They think it's funny I can measure my own degress in iron by the craving strength, Once I get Iv's the craving stops for about 7-8 months! Fri Jan 09 16:47:54 -0800 2009 1709456 255725 wvfeets 1 4312697 My ex-boyfriend used to eat potatoes like that regularly... peel and all. He did that with raw onion too :-S Fri Jan 09 19:21:02 -0800 2009 1709456 171920 jo_jo_ba 1 4313680 I used to eat them raw all the time. They kind of have the texture of jicama. The flavor's somewhat the same. Not bad. Sat Jan 10 09:15:41 -0800 2009 1709456 166787 beth1 2 4771041 I must admit it's one of my many guilty pleasures... My nerdy but groovy cool "Dad " loved Jicama for some reason and used to bring it home to my Brother and I and treat it like a special fruit from some far away land. It tasted good so we had no problem enjoying the Jicama. When we asked him what it was our Dad said it was a sugary potato "more or less." I have been peeling and munching raw potatoes ever since. I also do the same with Jicama whenever I can find it. Sun Jun 14 01:15:31 -0700 2009 4313680 1083348 Roman Man