Some of you may have missed this, but there was quite a kerfuffle in potato growing circles when Lebanese farmer Khalil Semhat claimed to have unearthed the world’s largest spud. It weighed in at just an ounce shy of 25 lbs!
Mr Semhat called in the good folks at the Guinness Book. They were obviously quite interested because a 25 lb tater would be over three times the size of the existing record. Such a find would be almost too good to be true.
Turns out, Mr Semhat doesn’t know his Solanum tuberosum from his Ipomoea batatas. Yes, that’s right, Khalil grew a sweet potato, which despite it’s English name is only distantly related to the white potato. Now you may be thinking that’s a pretty big sweet potato, and I’d have to agree. However, it is nowhere near record size, that being 81lb 9oz.
The world record for a proper potato is still held by Kenny Sloane of Patrick, Isle of Man. It is reported in the Isle of Man news that upon hearing his 1994 record was safe, Mr Sloane was “pleased”. That’s about as exciting as it gets in the Isle of Man. This is the top Manx news story for today.
Solomon Hezekiah 
December 14, 2008 at 4:09 am
I didn’t know there was a potato growing community in which to have a kerfuffle.
December 25, 2008 at 11:02 pm
This is the first time I’ve heard the “record” was claimed by the potato that is not really a potato! Thanks for posting.
Judith