Frederick the Great did not bring potatoes to Germany

In Germany, generations have falsely credited King Frederick II of Prussia with introducing potatoes to the nation, a legend steeped in myth rather than fact. While Frederick II, who reigned from 1740 to 1786, attempted to popularize the potato among his subjects, the truth reveals a less flattering story. The potato had already been cultivated in Bavaria since 1647, well before Frederick's reign. It was not until after the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815 that potatoes became widespread in Prussia, which became part of a unified Germany. Frederick's campaign involved creating the illusion of potatoes as a gourmet item, using guards to ward off commoners from his garden. However, disciplined local residents found ways to steal the vegetable, affirming a budding love for potatoes among the populace. Over the years, this myth grew, and Frederick was even posthumously nicknamed “Der Kartoffelkönig,” or the potato king, despite never actually consuming the tuber. Today, visitors continue to commemorate him by leaving raw potatoes and paper crowns at his grave, reflecting the deep cultural integration of the potato into German identity. Regardless of the historical inaccuracies, potatoes remain a crucial element of German cuisine and cultural fabric, resonating as a familial and national identity symbol.