Blackened Potatoes Unearthed Under The 3,800-Year-Old Garden In Canada

A 3,800-year-old potato garden was discovered underneath the ground in British Columbia, Canada. The garden was an underwater before in an ecologically rich wetland. The spuds are known as wild Wapato tubers or also referred to as Indian potatoes.

The findings of the discovery were published in the journal Science Advances' December issue. It was led by Tanja Hoffman from the Katzie Development Limited Partnership and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

3,800-year-old wetland potato garden found in Canada https://t.co/eRh1fxslUk pic.twitter.com/EkN6wEHfhm

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The potatoes were excavated on the ancestral lands of the Katzie tribe in British Columbia near the Fraser River. This is the first evidence of gardening by the local hunter-gatherers during that era. On the other hand, the said potatoes were inedible, yet this is the first proof that the North American natives managed gardens dated back 3,800 years ago, according to Indian Express.

It is noted in the study that the potatoes were dark brown to black in color and only the exterior shell or skin survived on many, some also had the starchy material inside. The archaeologists stated that the inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest had engineered the wetland to amplify the production of the wild food plant. They further said that they installed a rock pavement that formed a boundary for the cultivation of the potatoes, which were found in growing position.

The team has found a total of 3,767 Wapato plants (Sagittaria latifolia). These plants can be found in the wetlands in southern Canada and the United States as of these days. These potatoes had been significant for indigenous people. They even offered the Wapato roots to the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark at a native village near present-day Portland, Oregon. Clark described it as like a small Irish potato and had an agreeable taste, according to Fox News.