Asturian-American Migration Forum

pataca: pronounced Pah-TAH-Kah. Plural: les pataques (Central Asturian), las patacas (West Asturian). Potato, the starchy, edible tuber of Solanum tuberosum, also known as Irish potato or white potato in English. Etymologically related to Quechua or Kichwa ‘papa’ and Taino (Puerto Rican native people) ‘batata’, or yam/sweet potato.

According to Dictionary.com, the sweet potato was adopted by Spaniards and American colonists in Virginia in the mid-16th century and quickly adopted from Africa to India and Java. By 1597, the name was extended to the common white potato, originally from Peru. According to popular tradition, it was introduced to Ireland in 1586 by John Hawkins.

Irish, pratai. German, Kartoffel. Russian, Kartoffel. French, pomme de terre. Turkish, patates.

Usage examples:

Nolo, faigote unes pataques asaes con choricin? [Nolo, shall I make you some baked potatoes with sausage?]
Eso nun ye un móvil, cuco, ye una pataca! [Hey, that’s not a cell phone. It’s a museum piece!]
Nos restoranes chinos d’Asturies ponen pataques frites y pan. [In Chinese restaurants in Asturias, they serve fried potatoes and bread.]
Au ta Mari? Ta con Herminiu no pataqueiru. [Where’s Mari? She’s with Herminiu in the potato storage room or in the potato patch]
Lulo, mete-y pataques manturrines a la ensalada. [Lulo, put some russet potatoes into the salad]

Listen to Xose Anton Ambas interview Amparo, from Ca Canosu in the village of Val.lau [pronounced Vah-TSAU] in the mountains of County Cangas del Narcea. This is a brief discourse on the kind of potatoes that the local vaqueiros used to cultivate:

http://ru.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzLqJRRa ... re=related

Here’s a quick transcription into West Asturian:

“Mira, nos…una tia de mia madre casarase pa Ginestosu [Xinestosu]. Ya entonces, bueno aiqui, alcuerdo, ya d’eso alcuerdome you, ya este tamien s’alcuerda. Seguian semando las mismas patacas ya yaran ya tan piquininas que nun valian nada.”
“Patacas pedrigueiras, que…”
“Taban ya bastardiadas. Ya pa esa, pa esa casa, que te digu you, pa casa Gabilan, xubio una vez una vaqueira una canada l.lena patacas. Madre mia. Semaron del.las patacas. Tenian patacas! Bueno, las que quixeras. You alcuerdome de miou…
“Eran patacas de la marina!”
“You alcuerdome de miou padre que foi con un carro pa buscar sacos…”
“Diba a ruin, diba a ruin…”
“Ya nun daban ya”

My grandmother made what she called patatas al gochu (she was from Castrillón) and what we called pig potatoes in English. They were small boiled potatoes dressed with oil and vinegar.

Bob wrote:My grandmother made what she called patatas al gochu (she was from Castrillón) and what we called pig potatoes in English. They were small boiled potatoes dressed with oil and vinegar.

As a side dish or as part of what Asturians would call a 'salad'? It sounds like they might have been small spring potatoes, which people plant in Asturias for what's known as a 'guarnicion', which is essentially a side dish. I'm sure there's a word for those potatoes, Bob. We just need someone with going-to-market experience.

Btw, my sister's boyfriend from Brittany just came back with kickass oak-cured chorizos from Salas. The company that makes them is called 'Embuastur'.