How did we get the jacket potato?
It’s hard to say when, how or who first thought they’d bake a potato in its skin.
We can’t really say they were invented. Popping a spud in the fire embers is so rudimentary, it’s likely to have been around far longer than we think.
At this time of year, jacket potatoes are a staple in British diets and are also something we all link with Bonfire Night parties. They go hand in hand with hearty soups and warming sausages in finger rolls, topped with sweet fried onions and, although not fast to cook, they are very easy to do.
Tasty & versatile
Potatoes come in fourth, after rice, wheat and corn, as the most popular annual food crop grown worldwide. The Incas first cultivated them around 6,500 BC. Then, they were brought back to Europe after Spanish Conquistadors conquered Peru in the 1,500s AD. As they were both tasty and versatile, their popularity grew.
Jacket potatoes were so convenient for early cooks. They didn’t need cleaning before baking, overcooking them didn’t impact on their taste or texture, as no matter how burnt the outsides became the insides, more or less, remained fluffy.
Easy to bake
In a time when kitchen fires burnt all day long, it was incredibly easy to bake potatoes.
For centuries, jacket potatoes in Britain were very common. They were sold by street vendors in the 19th century, especially in the autumn and winter, when crops were harvested. Jacket spuds were used in coat pockets as hand warmers by those who took them to work or school in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Bakers’ ovens
So, what’s this all got to do with bakers? Well, vendors often used bakers’ ovens, cooking up between 50-100 spuds at a time before placing them in ‘cans’ to keep them hot and sell them.
Baked potatoes are also notably popular in the USA, India, Japan, Brazil, Russia and many other places around the world. Many cultures have adopted them as they are easy to cook, tasty and nutritious.
Our jackets
The humble spud looks set to continue to be popular worldwide. We’ll have jackets on our menu in the bakery this season and beyond too. Pop in soon to check out our weekly special fillings.