RECORD-BREAKING POTATO IS NOT A POTATO
He made headlines around the world and was even awarded the Guinness World Record as the biggest potato ever, but in the end Doug the potato was classified as not being a potato.
Dug, aptly named by its owners Colin and Donna Craig-Brown after they dug it up in their garden in New Zealand, got very excited when they got the news that they’ve unearthed the world’s biggest potato.
But, seven months later they received the news that Dug was, in fact, not a potato.
After a thorough DNA test, the Guinness World Record spokesperson shared the sad news with the couple via email.
“Sadly the specimen is not a potato and is in fact the tuber of a type of gourd. For this reason we do unfortunately have to disqualify the application.”
So, if Dug is a tuber, what on earth is a tuber?
CNN reports that a tuber is an underground organic structure that stores water and helps regrow after winter or harsh weather, according to Amy Charkowski, professor and department head in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
Colin, who liked to dress Dug up in different outfits and share it on social media, told CNN that he was initially very surprised that Dug wasn’t a potato because he had tried a raw sample of Dug and it tasted identical to a potato.
Image credit: Toronto Star