Poznańskie Muzeum Pyry - The Poznań Spud Museum

After booking a visit to The Poznań Potato Museum

I found the tour was not available in English*, so I would need to translate as best I can for my family.  Which, considering I struggle to understand spoken Polish at normal speed, will probably result in me making it up as I go along.  But: best foot forward; I shall do my best.

(*The reply from the museum said the tour was mainly in Polish, which is fair enough considering the Museum is situated in Poland)

A bit of advance preparation is needed, so I will note some spud related vocabulary here.  I first learned that Ziemniak is the word for potato, but just as we have spuds, tatties, and taters, the Polish have other words for potato.  There is the Germanic word kartofel, but in the Poznań area the dialect word pyra is used, pyry being the plural, but also the genitive singular.

What other vocabulary may crop up?

uprawa / uprawy    -    crop / crops

uprawiać    -    to grow / cultivate

uprawa polowa    -    field crop

bulwa    -    tuber

skrobia    -    starch

skrobiowy    -    starchy

pęd / pędu / pędowi / pędem / pędzię    -    shoot

pędy / pędów / pędom / pędami / pędach    -    shoots

wypuszczać    -    release (like shoots)

roślina    -    a plant

roślina uprawna    -    cultivated plant

psianka / psianek    -    nightshade

wywodzić się z...    -    to originate / come from...

tysiące lat temu    -    thousands of years ago

podstawowy    -    basic / staple

składniki    -    ingredients

jadłospis    -    menu / bill of fare / dishes that constitute daily food

pole / pola / polu / polem    -    field

pola / pól / polom / polami / polach    -    fields

Regarding the story of the potato in Poland, we might start with Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.  He is often credited with the introduction of potatoes to Poland, sending a sack of potatoes to his wife Marysieńka during the Vienna siege / Battle of Vienna (the latter is in the correct period).  His royal gardener, Wieńczarek, planted potato tubers in the gardens of Wilanów Palace.

worek    -    sack

oblężenie    -    siege

bitwa    -    battle

Wiednia    -    Vienna

Bitwa pod Wiedniem    -    Battle of Vienna

dotrzeć    -    reach / arrive by effort

XVII    -    siedemnasty    -    17th

XVIII    -    osiemnasty    -    18th

XIX    -    dziewiętnasty    -    19th

wiek / wieku / wiekowi / wiekiem    -    century

przywieźć    -    to bring back / deliver something (perfective form)

zasadzić    -    to plant

pałac    -    palace

Countries, peoples and geogarphy in Polish potato history:

Ameryka Południowa    -    South America

Niemcy    -    Germany

Czechosłowacja    -    

Czechy    -    Czechia / Czech Republic / Bohemia

kraj    -    country

granica    -    border

Hiszpanie    -    Spaniards 

Despite conservative opposition, the popularity of potatoes grew.

Pomimo... [+genitive]    -    despite...

mimo... [+genitive]    -    despite...

trudności    -    difficulties

konserwatywna 

opozycja

nieufność    -    mistrust / suspicion

traktować    -    to treat / deal / handle something in a specific way

nowinka    -    novelty

upowszechnić się    -    to become popular

stać się    -    to become (pf.)

The scourge of the potato in Ireland and the UK may be potato blight, zaraza ziemniaczana, but in Poland and neighbouring countries, it is the Colorado potato beetle, stonka.

The Beetle is likely to have spread with movement of people, but in the post war period where East Germany and Poland were in the Soviet Sphere of Influence, also know as the Eastern Bloc, propaganda was spread claiming the Beetles were dropped by Western Aircraft.  I know: a Soviet government lying to their people to demonize countries beyond their influence, who'd have thought it?

(Soviet propaganda in Czech)

stonka (ziemniaczna)    -    Potato beetle

żółty    -    yellow

rysunek    -    shape

plam    -    mark / stain

kremowy    -    cream colour

czarny    -    black

pasek    -    stripe

paski / pasków / paskom / paskami / paskach    -    stripes

pasiasty    -    striped

odkryty    -    discovered / found (adjective)

spodować    -    to cause

został    -    to become (but also to remain or be left)

naturalny wróg    -    natural enemy

niewielka ilość    -    insignificant quantity

sprzyjać    -    to favour

Sprzyjały temu...    -    It was favoured by... / In its favour were...

Wielka Wojna    -    The Great War

Druha wojna Światowa    -    WWII

The propaganda was also spread by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Reforms, Ministerstwa Rolnictwa i Reform Rolnych in 1950 in the columns of the People's Tribune (na łamach Trybumy Ludu), claiming huge amounts of the beetles were dropped by American planes.

ogromny    -    huge / immense

ilość    -    quantity 

ilości    -    quantities

samoloty / samolotów / samolotom / samolotami / samolotach    -    planes

maszyny    -    machines / craft.  Often used after first establishing what the craft is.

stonkowate    -    leaf beetle

rodzina stonkowatych    -    leaf beetle family

chrząszcz    -    beetle

żuk    -    beetle

rozprzestrzeniać się    -    to spread

NRD    -    Niemiecka Republika Demokratyczna

Niemiecka Republika Demokratyczna    -    German Democratic Republic

German Democratic Republic    -    East Germany

latać    -    to fly

przelatywać    -    to fly over / through / by, to arrive by flying

przelatujący    -    active adjectival participle    -    (over) flying

przelatujące maszyny    -    flying machines / machines that are flying over

ciężki    -    heavy