Why do Americans eat potatoes with the skin?

[Shrager, Miriam]

Dear All,

The exchange of messages on the SEELANGS reminded me that when I came to the
US I asked myself the same question, but in a reverse order: "Why do
Americans eat potatoes with the skin?". I visited several countries before I
came here and I've never seen potatoes eaten with the skin. In Russia even
when we ate new potatoes we only cooked them with the skin, "v mundire", but
after they were cooked we usually peeled them and added butter and dill. I
heard that in the 80's in Russia some people started to eat potatoes with
the skins for the vitamins, but it was something unusual and exotic. After
all, besides vitamins there might me residue from all the fertilizers and
pesticides. So, I personally prefer to peel potatoes, but each one has his
own habits and tastes.

Best regards to the list,
-Masha

Miriam Shrager
Indiana University in Bloomington

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