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The Secret Genius of Ancient Andean Farmers
Seven thousand years ago, Andean indigenous farmers took a wild weed so toxic it could paralyze and kill you, and they transformed it into the most revolutionary food crop in history.
At extreme altitudes up to 4,000 meters in Peru and Bolivia as they are known today, wild potatoes carried lethal levels of toxins. Observing wild animals like vicuñas and guanacos licking clay to neutralize plant poisons, ancient Andeans replicated this behavior. They dipped wild potatoes in a mixture of clay and water, safely consuming them while selectively breeding thousands of diverse varieties that were…
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