Famine and Potatoes: the 1933 Famine in Uzbekistan, and Changing Foodways

Abstract

Why and when did Uzbeks start eating potatoes and tomatoes? It is commonly said in Uzbekistan that these foods were adopted fairly recently, and that they were brought by Russians.1 A food history study can tell us that a product can be known and available, but that does not mean that it will be widely consumed. Oral history interviews conducted with rural Uzbeks from the collectivization generation show links between Uzbekistan’s collectivization-related famine and decisions to taste potatoes for the first time, and then to begin growing them.