Potato and Olive Stew with Tomato Sauce

Potatoes were introduced to Greece in the early nineteenth century by Ioannis Kapodistrias, our first governor, after the revolution that freed Greece from Turkish domination. There is an amusing story about their introduction that is a good indication of the Greek character.

At that time, the nation’s capital was at Nauplia, in the Peloponnese. The enlightened governor wanted to give potatoes to the people, thinking that they would be an ideal food for the starving