this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
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Also what do you see?

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[–] The_v@lemmy.world 15 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

There is two things going on there.

First if you look closely you can see holes in the spud. This is insect damage, likely caused by a wireworm (larval form of a clickbeetle species.)

Second is a physiological damage in storage/shipping causing the black color. This is not blight or another fungus, but the tubers reaction to suboptimal storage condition (not enough O2).

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/333609

[–] Fafa@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Oh that makes sense. I wanted to bake them in the oven but most of them had this kind of pattern. They weren't smelly or anything and had a normal consistency.

[–] justsquigglez@leminal.space 22 points 6 hours ago

I think I see my parent's divorce in that potato.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 9 points 5 hours ago

Dunno, don’t eat it

[–] mech@feddit.org 25 points 6 hours ago
[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago
[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 24 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

That's how you got Irish Americans

[–] hector@lemmy.today 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Is this blight? I know the famine the harvest looked good until a day or so after they are harvested they would turn black, and then rotten. Potatoes really get rotten fast too if they are frozen and thawed or something. But I thought the blight was more the entire potato going bad.

[–] irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Blighted potatoes look like this:

The leaves of the potatoes would look fine, but the actual potato thing would be rotten under the ground.

[–] hector@lemmy.today 3 points 4 hours ago

Ah interesting thanks my understanding is actually limited to my recollection of https://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/begins.htm

'... of The Famine began quite mysteriously in September 1845 as leaves on potato plants suddenly turned black and curled, then rotted, seemingly the result of a fog that had wafted across the fields of Ireland. The cause was actually an airborne fungus (phytophthora infestans) originally transported in the holds of ships traveling from North America to England.

Winds from southern England carried the fungus to the countryside around Dublin. The blight spread throughout the fields as fungal spores settled on the leaves of healthy potato plants, multiplied and were carried in the millions by cool breezes to surrounding plants. Under ideal moist conditions, a single infected potato plant could infect thousands more in just a few days.

The attacked plants fermented while providing the nourishment the fungus needed to live, emitting a nauseous stench as they blackened and withered in front of the disbelieving eyes of Irish peasants. There had been crop failures in the past due to weather and other diseases, but this strange new failure was unlike anything ever seen.** Potatoes dug out of the ground at first looked edible, but shriveled and rotted within days. The potatoes had been attacked by the same fungus that had destroyed the plant leaves above ground.**

By October 1845, news of the blight had reached London. British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, quickly established a Scientific Commission to examine the problem. After briefly studying the situation, the Commission issued a gloomy report that over half of Ireland's potato crop might perish due to 'wet rot.' ...'

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[–] WagnasT@piefed.world 32 points 8 hours ago

It looks like you may have thought the potato was locked in there with you but actually you might be locked in there with the potato.

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 38 points 9 hours ago (1 children)
[–] JetpackJackson@feddit.org 9 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Thats a really interesting site, had no idea there was such depth to potato grading

[–] housedogpartyfavor@lemmy.zip 5 points 5 hours ago

yeah we used to have a government

The potato is an exploration of pain and rage, it's really quite playful and comedic too

[–] ThunderComplex@lemmy.today 2 points 5 hours ago

Potat undergoing Stracciatellarization

[–] TrojanRoomCoffeePot@lemmy.world 38 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

German psychiatrist voice

"It appears to be threatened by self actualization and fixated on its dysfunctional relationship with its Father."

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 11 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Don't forget wanting to shag its mother.

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Freudian slip: where you mean one thing but say your mother instead.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 5 points 8 hours ago

Sorry. I meant your mother of course.

[–] gjoel@programming.dev 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

What does the potato look like to you?

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 38 points 11 hours ago (4 children)

My Irish half just shuddered.

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 14 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

My favourite great hunger joke:

How many potatoes does it take to kill an Irishman?

None.

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)
[–] mech@feddit.org 1 points 2 hours ago

How many Palestinians does Israel need to "defend" itself?

[–] TheOctonaut@mander.xyz 10 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

No potatoes doesn't kill an Irishman, but Queen Victoria endorsing Charles Trevelyan's laisse-faire policies of "continuing food exports and limiting aid to fellow subjects because depopulating Ireland was God's will" did.

[–] hector@lemmy.today 6 points 5 hours ago

Well they will never learn anything if you give them handouts after their crop failures, what not with us shipping all their other food they grow elsewhere. /s

It's amazing the language used, is exactly like the heartless politicians now taking away food stamps and medicaid and the like.

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[–] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 61 points 12 hours ago (4 children)

Oh shit is that potato blight?

[–] hector@lemmy.today 3 points 5 hours ago

No I don't think so, that turns the entire potato black, and it gets rotten along with it, this looks like it's still got it's integrity other than some black shit colonizing it. Potato blight they harvested all right then a couple of days later would turn black. So you do all the work, think you are finally set, then fucked.

[–] daggermoon@lemmy.world 10 points 10 hours ago

The photos I'm seeing online look way worse than this one.

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[–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 6 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I think the Irish just collectively fainted at this picture.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Peruvians as well

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 45 points 12 hours ago (5 children)

Are we using the Quayle spelling now?

[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 29 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Upvote because I’m old enough to remember.

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 16 points 6 hours ago

(Riffling through my Rolodex of ancient webcomics.)

Ah, here we are:

[–] Fafa@lemmy.world 15 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Oh my bad! Apparently, i don't know how to spell potatö

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 5 points 7 hours ago

What screws it up is the e appears in the plural, potatoes.

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[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 18 points 10 hours ago

It's starches are being broken down and used in glycolysis before you had a chance to. The bastards stole it from you. Burn them.

[–] gilokee@lemmy.world 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I thought it was a blueberry muffin :(

[–] Apeman42@lemmy.world 11 points 10 hours ago

It's just the dark meat.

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