Potatoes, sweet or spicy, have a place in local dishes

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An edible tuber bearing the Latin name Solanum tuberosum, the potato is one of the few food items that has been consumed as a staple since ancient times.

According to the Visual Food Encyclopedia, the tuber is an excellent source of potassium and contains vitamin C, B6, copper, niacin, magnesium, folic acid, iron and pantothenic acid.

In Indonesia's diverse cuisine, potatoes are used as a complimenting ingredient, as a filling in sweet snacks and as side dishes.

Generally, as a substitute for rice, it is often diced, sliced or mashed for main courses and side dishes, and usually the cooking process involves seasoning with salt before deep frying them in hot oil.

But when steamed or boiled, like in soups, potatoes are often cooked along with other ingredients to ensure they are thoroughly cooked and absorb the spices.

As an ingredient in soto (a type of traditional soup in different parts of the country), the potato is often thinly sliced and crisply deep fried and is the last item to be added to a bowl of hot soto.

One of the most popular traditional dishes featuring potato is the hot and spicy rendang, a typical fare in Padang, West Sumatra, in which small potatoes are stewed in thick coconut milk.

Another famous potato dish is sambal goreng ati (spicy hot chicken or beef liver with diced potato). In this dish, cubed potato are deep fried and mixed together with the seasoned offal.

When combined with sugar and then smoothly mashed (sometimes a little coconut milk is added for consistency), the potato is often used as filling in different types of traditional and modern snacks.

And apart from its culinary role, local people also believe the tuber has certain medicinal properties and they often use raw and grated potato to treat burns and skin inflammation.

One thing that should be kept in mind is that this tuber requires careful handling during the cooking process. Exposure of potatoes to the light or sun will trigger the formation of green or dark green patches which impart a bitter taste and it may contain significant quantity of toxic substance called solanine.

Small doses of solanine can cause stomach cramps, headache and diarrhea but strong doses may affect the nervous system, it said.

It is also important to remove all traces of green parts, as well as sprouts and the "eyes" because solanine tends to accumulate in these particular areas.