World War II discovery in attic 24-year-old tries dried potatoes from Australian troops
Bielefeld · A 24-year-old from Bielefeld discovered crates in an attic, containing tins from the Second World War. He decided to have a taste of the contents: 76-year-old dried potatoes from the Australian armed forces.
"Tastes musty and earthy and only very remotely like a rather mealy potato," Marius Rügge told the German Press Agency. His research on dried fries revealed that they came from Melbourne, Australia and were probably intended as a supply for the soldiers.
"I can imagine that they somehow ended up in the coal merchant's shop here during the war or after the war, which used to be located here," said Rügge. The "Westfalen-Blatt" had reported the story earlier.
The young businessman made the discovery when he and a plumber went into the adjoining building of his workplace in advance of upcoming renovation work. He noticed the boxes that had apparently been stored in the attic undiscovered for decades. "They looked just like in the movies," said Rügge. The dusty and tightly closed wooden crates were stamped with the words: "Dried Potato" - "one naturally becomes curious”.
In each of the crates, Rügge and his colleagues found two tins with potatoes cut to the size of french fries and dehydrated, as well as instructions for preparation. He then soaked some of the potato sticks in water for two hours and heated them up - in the microwave. "Maybe it would have been better to use a deep fryer," says Rügge. It is not yet clear what will happen to the boxes. "Maybe someone will be interested." He does not plan to eat the rest.
(Orig. text: dpa / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)
