Most Latvians could easily have potatoes for every meal. Including dessert. Four partners - potato species creators, growers, scientists and bakers - are currently developing dessert cakes on potato base. The idea belongs to the bakery "Ineses tortes" in Rumba parish, Kuldīga county. The project is still in the early stages, potatoes growing.
There are 10 varieties of potato growing in about 0.3 hectares. They have been drawn up in three repetitions, so that it can be assessed as objectively as possible how the varieties grow when the soil changes.
The task is not easy – finding the best varieties suitable for commercial cooking of cakes and cream. The idea that the potato could be used more extensively in dessert came from the demand for low-fat, hypoallergenic baked goods.
“The idea is very good, especially if we are talking about Latvia, so that we can also underline our identity and emphasise that it is really our product,” acknowledged LLU Professor of Food Technology, lead researcher Tatjana Ķince.
In order to implement the plan, "Ineses tortes" has attracted funding from the European Agricultural Fund. The total budget is over €96 000; outcome is expected after two years. Safe to say - the best part of a meal is the spudding!