Chinese potato is a seasonal vegetable that would be available during the Pongal festival in south Tamilnadu. South of Madurai, especially in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Virudhunagar districts, the tuber is sold during the months of January. These beets are considered one of the important items in their Pongal celebration.
The skin is removed by boiling and peeled off with the help of hemp sack. The beets appears round shaped and clear white after the skin removal. It tastes so good when seasoned with peanut oil without adding spices. These tubers available in these area only from January to March.
This tuber that grows in the soil will have a slight earthy soil smell, no matter how much it is cleaned or cooked. That's the specialty of these potato. The taste is immense even if the tuber is small.
It is high in nutrients such as starch and protein. Controls blood pressure. Good for eye sight. This tuber is also suitable for hemorrhoids.
We get both the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin A (beta carotene) that our body needs, and it is also high in iron. Normal Potatoes contain only 5 percent protein in the weight, while Chinese potatoes contain 5 to 13 percent protein. So naturally grown these tuber is very healthy.
This small tuber is rich in Vitamin C as it contains ascorbic acid. Chinese Potatoes are still a staple food in the Tirunelveli district of TamilNadu, like their famous Halwa during Pongal festival.
Chinese potatoes will be slightly smaller than the regular potatoes. People who visit and had these potatoes would definitely go back to Tirunelveli to have again.
This tuber is not widely available in Chennai. Many do not know.
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