Parsnips growing on trees? Melons sprouting from the ground? A new survey has revealed just how little us Brits know about how common fruits and vegetables are grown.
New research commissioned by the Potato Council, who questioned 2,000 adults, found that three out of ten Brits can’t explain how potatoes are produced, and one in ten think that tomatoes are harvested from the ground.
Even more worryingly, one in five thinks that melons grow in the earth and that parsnips thrive on trees. One in 20 Brits thinks Granny Smith is a variety of potato, and 20% have never heard of a King Edward or a Maris Piper potato.
It also emerged that one in 20 adults are completely embarrassed by this lack of knowledge, and a quarter said they regularly come unstuck when kids ask them where certain food comes from.
Praising the potato
Cooking is an issue too. Despite being one of the nation’s favourite ingredients, potatoes cause trouble for one in twenty adults – half claim that their roasts aren’t fluffy enough and 28% say their mash isn’t smooth enough.
The study found the hardest vegetable to cook was asparagus, followed by the swede.
Caroline Evans from the Potato Council commented on the findings: "It’s worrying to think that there are people out there who believe types of apples to be potatoes and that well known varieties of British grown spuds are unheard of."
How do you rate your fruit and vegetable knowledge? Are you surprised at these results? Talk to us in the Comments box below.
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