Purple potatoes. Purple! I know, what's next?!



These Peruvian babies were grown just 20 miles down the road on an organic farm. But these colored spuds are ancient, man. Like, WAY back. It's said that these purple potatoes can be traced back to Andean ancestries. So, why did it take so long for them to show up in American farms and on our plates?

People are funny about the color of their food. If something doesn't meet their visual expectations, it can have a psychological impact on the flavor. The folks over at The Kitchn even created a color chart to illustrate the impact each color might have on one's dining experience. Others, like Debra Zellner, professor of psychology at Shippenburg University of Pennsylvania, say that food of the "wrong" color is often disliked because it doesn't meet the psychological expectations of the eater.



Since most of us grew up with plain ol' white potatoes and the year-end season's orangey sweet potatoes, it's easy to see why a purple potato might cause a little ruckus at dinnertime in an American household. But, thanks to pink butter from Parkay and green ketchup from Heinz, today's kids might be a little more willing to try a vegetable of a different color. (Although, it should be noted that neither of those products is still in production.)

Some fancy schmancy restaurants like Opaque in California are toying with this notion by blind-folding their patrons and serving them in a pitch-black room. Servers wear night-vision gear and diners aren't even clued in to the menu. The sense of sight is completely removed from the equation.

That's one way to experiment with visual expectations. Another, I say, is to get ahold of some organic purple potatoes (or rainbow carrots) and chow down! Don't be afraid to try something new, even if it looks a little strange.