The princess had committed a terrible sin.

According to the Russian old believer legend, she had had a, let's just say, less than

appropriate relationship with a dog, and so she and the dog were both put to death. They were

surprisingly buried side by side, but as time went on and the seasons changed, something strange

occurred. Plants began to grow from their graves, new plants, unlike any

seen before. From the princess's grave, the world's first tobacco plant sprouted. And from the dogs,

a sinister little vegetable called the potato. Yes, the beloved foundation of everything from

French fries to tater tots was originally believed to be

evil. Potatoes were alleged to cause lustful thoughts, contain deadly poison, and literally be linked

to the devil. Oh, and early 17th century Europeans also insisted that potatoes could give you leprosy.

But not all heroes wear capes, as they say, and we have one single

potato lover to thank for mashing the rumors and giving our favorite tuber its due respect. That hero

was a Frenchman named Antoine Augustin Parmentier, and he'd spent time as a prisoner of war in

Prussia, where prison diet consisted largely of, you guessed it,

potatoes. Now, you would think that he would be sick of spuds after three years in prison,

but you'd be wrong. Because when he finally returned to France, he dedicated years of his life

to convincing French people that potatoes were delicious. This guy would host lavish potato-themed dinner parties,

which featured up to 20 potato-centric courses. And it worked. Suddenly, everyone wanted to boil

them, mash them, stick him in a stew, all because of parmentier. And don't worry,

he received the acclaim that he deserved. Today, there's a stop on the Paris Metro named after him,

complete with the statue of the man,

and enthusiasts even leave potatoes on his grave at the Perlachet Cemetery.

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