The Four Corners potato may be small — no bigger than a copper penny — but this starchy, edible tuber is mighty, having survived in the wild landscapes of southern Utah for nearly 11,000 years.
Packed with proteins and vitamins, it was a powerful source of nourishment for the Native Americans living in the state’s Escalate and Bears Ears regions, say University of Utah researchers.
Centuries later, Mormon pioneers consumed the wild potato, and — even later — some of their descendants survived on it during the Great Depression.
On Monday, the timeline for the Four Corners potato extends into the 21st century as modern-day diners in Utah will get to sample, for the first time, this piece of ancient history during the 2nd Annual Indigenous Dinner at the Natural History Museum of Utah.