Bintje facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Potato Bintje |
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Bintje potatoes
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| Genus | solanum |
| Species | Solanum tuberosum |
| Hybrid parentage | Munstersen x Fransen |
| Cultivar | Bintje |
| Breeder | K.L. de Vries, 1904 |
| Origin | Netherlands |
The Bintje potato is a very popular type of potato. It was created in the Netherlands in 1904 by a school teacher named K.L. de Vries. He mixed two other potato types, Munstersen and Fransen, to make Bintje. This new potato was first sold in 1910. The name "Bintje" comes from one of his old students. It's a short version of the name Benedict.
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Bintje Potato: A Famous Spud
Bintje potatoes are known for growing fairly quickly. They are ready to harvest in the middle of the growing season. This makes them a good choice for many farmers.
How Bintje Looks
Bintje plants are not too tall and stand up straight. Their stems often have a purple color. The leaves are a dark green, and the flowers are white.
The potatoes themselves are large and oval-shaped. They have pale yellow skin and yellow flesh inside. The "eyes" (small dents where new sprouts grow) are not very deep. When they start to sprout, the new shoots are purplish.
Where Bintje Grows and What It's Used For
Bintje is a potato that produces a lot of potatoes per plant. Because of this, it is grown widely in Europe and North Africa.
People use Bintje potatoes for many different meals. They are great for boiling and baking. They are also perfect for making fries, mashed potatoes, and potato chips. In countries like France and Belgium, Bintje is the most common type of potato grown.
Staying Healthy: Bintje and Diseases
The Bintje potato is strong against some plant sicknesses. For example, it doesn't get sick from Potato virus A. It also has some protection against Potato leafroll virus.
However, Bintje can get sick from other things. These include netted scab, common scab, and Fusarium dry rot. It can also catch potato wart, Potato virus X, and Potato virus Y. A common potato disease called late blight can also affect Bintje plants.
For a long time, it was hard to make Bintje potatoes that were stronger against diseases. This is because Bintje plants are "sterile," meaning they can't make seeds on their own. But recently, scientists found a way to help Bintje plants make seeds. This means they can now create new Bintje potatoes that are better at fighting diseases. They can even make new Bintje potatoes with different colors!
In 2012, the Bintje potato was even voted "potato of the year."
The Story of Bintje's Creator
The person who created the Bintje potato was Lieuwes Kornelis de Vries. He was a schoolmaster who loved farming.
Who Was K.L. de Vries?
Lieuwes Kornelis de Vries was born on February 25, 1854. This was in a place called Hardegarijp in the Netherlands. He got married twice and had several children. He passed away on November 20, 1929.
De Vries worked on a farm until he was 21 years old. After that, he decided to study and become a teacher. In 1883, he became the head teacher at a primary school in Sumar. He also studied agriculture and gardening.
Besides teaching, de Vries gave special winter classes about farming. He was part of a farming group called the Frisian Society of Agriculture. In 1898, this group asked him to set up a special area to test growing potatoes. He managed this testing ground for 25 years. During that time, he grew about 150 different types of potatoes. But out of all of them, only the Bintje was a big success! The Bintje potato has been a very important food in the Netherlands for a long time.
