Use Potatoes to Save Wheat (and Meat)

In 1918 the United States Food Administration embarked on a Potato Campaign. Calling on “the cooperation of newspapers, retail stores, women’s clubs, schools, churches, commercial bodies, theaters, and speakers” the campaign sought to increase consumption of potatoes during the height of the First World War. Bulky potatoes were less suited to shipment to Europe for the war effort than wheat and Americans were encouraged use potatoes in new ways.

A pamphlet was issued that gave detailed information on how to promote potatoes but provided little information on why the public should participate. The related school leaflet issued for planning lessons schools was a bit more informative, outlining the nutritional benefit of potatoes. In the guidelines for a Potato Day Program the points to stress includes a surplus of potatoes, transportation issues, and substituting them for wheat.

Use Potatoes to Save Wheat, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture sums up the following reasons to use potatoes.
    “Americans should use the potato even more freely and in a greater variety of ways than at present. Wheat must be saved for the American forces and the Allied armies in Europe, and potatoes can help save it.
    This circular gives recipes for a variety of potato dishes. When you serve potatoes in these ways you will need less bread. The circular also tells how to use potatoes in place of flour for various purposes as well as how to use potato flour and potato starch as wheat substitutes.”

Government publications and women’s magazines offered housewives new and inventive ways to use potatoes in breads and cakes. With the call to eat less red meat, recipes for main dishes. like fish cakes and chowders, used potatoes to provide bulk to main dishes, as well.

Over the next few months I’ll try some of these 100-year old recipes and let my readers know which ones work. I suspect there will both great successes and epic failures.