Potato
I come from the Andes Mountains and was first cultivated about 7,000 years ago.
I am in the same family as tomatoes – compare our flowers – and play a central role in Andean fertility myths and rituals.
I arrived in Europe in the 16th century, but it took a long time for people to realise I could be a cheap carbohydrate for the working classes.
Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette wore my flowers to decorate their outfits.
In 1995 I was taken into space with the space shuttle Columbia – the first time any food was grown in space.