Dutch Potato-Peeling Championship produces longest and thinnest peel measuring 63 centimetres
Peeling potatoes is a piece of cake? No! There’s a well-thought-out strategy behind it. A feat of impressive technique, iron patience and a deep passion. That became clear during the Dutch Potato-Peeling Championship held in Klarenbeek last week. Who walked away with the longest and thinnest peel?
The assignment was simple: peel 5 medium-sized potatoes. Naturally, they had to be the same size; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been fair to the other participants. Each participant had 10 minutes to demonstrate their peeling skills. The peel had to be not only as long, but also as thin as possible. And there was one important rule: absolutely no potato peeler could be used. That would be like swearing in a gigantic potato barn.
The longest and thinnest
The winner, who may carry the unofficial title of ‘Best Potato Peeler in the Netherlands’ for a year, is 88-year-old Wim Bosch. At no less than 63 centimetres, he produced ‘the longest and the thinnest’, as he tells Omroep Gelderland. (His words, not mine.) Wim clearly has a talent for the potato-peeling profession. Last year, he also walked away with the title. He peeled—or rather, came—first again; although according to Wim, there were plenty of talented participants among them.
Wim’s secret? ‘Keep turning in circles with a sharp knife,’ he tells Editie NL. And stay sharp, I would add.
With or without a knife
Wim already noted to RTL Nieuws that ‘young people are peeling fewer and fewer potatoes’. He thinks that’s a shame. And actually, he has a point. Isn’t peeling potatoes incredibly zen? A pan on your lap, a knife in your hand and potatoes being peeled one by one: it’s almost meditative. In short, we should do it more often.
Am I swearing in that gigantic potato barn by saying that time doesn’t always allow for it? And—oops—neither does motivation? There are plenty of hacks and tricks for peeling potatoes super quickly. Without a knife. Let’s hope the organisers of the Dutch Potato-Peeling Championship don’t hear about this…
Also read:
- Potatoes with sprouts: can you eat them?
- Sweet potato versus regular potato: which is healthier?
- America in an uproar: will potatoes soon no longer be considered vegetables?
Sources: Omroep Gelderland, Editie NL, RTL Nieuws
