{{taxobox | name = Sweet Potato | image = Ipomoea batatas.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = Sweet potato in flowerHemingway, South Carolina | regnum = Plantae | unranked_divisio = Angiosperms | unranked_classis = Eudicots | unranked_ordo = Asterids | ordo = Solanales | familia = Convolvulaceae | genus = ''Ipomoea'' | species = ''I. batatas'' | binomial = ''Ipomoea batatas'' | binomial_authority = (L.) Lam.}}

The sweet potato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of Convolvulaceae, ''I. batatas'' is the only crop plant of major importance—some others are used locally, but many are actually poisonous.

The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (''Solanum tuberosum''). The softer, orange variety is often called a yam in parts of North America, a practice intended to differentiate it from the firmer and more nutritious variety of sweet potato that is beige on the outside and yellow on the inside. The sweet potato is botanically very distinct from the other vegetable called a yam, which is native to Africa and Asia and belongs to the monocot family Dioscoreaceae. To prevent confusion, the United States Department of Agriculture requires sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" to be labeled also as "sweet potatoes". In New Zealand English, the Māori term ''kūmara'' is commonly used.

The genus ''Ipomoea'' that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers called morning glories, though that term is not usually extended to ''Ipomoea batatas''. Some cultivars of ''Ipomoea batatas'' are grown as ornamental plants; the name "tuberous morning glory" may be used in a horticultural context.

The plant is a herbaceous perennial vine, bearing alternate heart-shaped or palmately lobed leaves and medium-sized sympetalous flowers. The edible tuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose colour ranges between red, purple, brown and beige. Its flesh ranges from beige through yellow, orange, and purple.

Origin, distribution and diversity

The center of origin and domestication of sweet potato is thought to be either in Central America or South America. In Central America, sweet potatoes were domesticated at least 5,000 years ago.

Austin (1988) postulated that the center of origin of ''I. batatas'' was between the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and the mouth of the Orinoco River in Venezuela. The 'cultigen' had most likely been spread by local people to the Caribbean and South America by 2500 BC. Zhang ''et al.'' (1998) provided strong supporting evidence that the geographical zone postulated by Austin is the primary center of diversity. The much lower molecular diversity found in Peru–Ecuador suggests this region should be considered as secondary center of sweet potato diversity.

The sweet potato was also grown before western exploration in Polynesia. Sweet potato has been radiocarbon-dated in the Cook Islands to 1000 AD, and current thinking is that it was brought to central Polynesia around 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had traveled to South America and back, and spread across Polynesia to Hawaii and New Zealand from there. It is possible, however, that South Americans brought it to the Pacific, although this is unlikely as it was the Polynesians who had a strong maritime tradition and not the native South Americans. The theory that the plant could spread by floating seeds across the ocean is not supported by evidence. Another point is that the sweet potato in Polynesia is the cultivated ''Ipomoea batatas'', which is generally spread by vine cuttings and not by seeds.

Sweet potatoes are now cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistics, world production in 2004 was 127,000,000 tonnes. The majority comes from China, with a production of 105,000,000 tonnes from 49,000 km². About half of the Chinese crop is used for livestock feed.

Per capita production is greatest in countries where sweet potatoes are a staple of human consumption, led by Papua New Guinea at 550 kg per person per year, the Solomon Islands at 160 kg, Burundi and Rwanda at 130 kg and Uganda at 100 kg.

About of sweet potatoes are produced annually in New Zealand, where sweet potato is known by its Māori name, ''kūmara''. It was a staple food for Māori before European contact.

In the U.S., North Carolina, the leading state in sweet potato production, provided 38.5% of the 2007 U.S. production of sweet potatoes. In 2007, California produced 23%, Louisiana 15.9%, and Mississippi 19% of the U.S. total.

The town of Opelousas, Louisiana's "Yambilee" has been celebrated every October since 1946. The Frenchmen who established the first settlement at Opelousas in 1760 discovered the native Atakapa, Alabama, Choctaw, and Appalousa tribes eating sweet potatoes. The sweet potato became a favorite food item of the French and Spanish settlers and thus continued a long history of cultivation in Louisiana.

Mississippi has about 150 farmers presently growing sweet potatoes on about , contributing $19 million dollars to the state's economy. Mississippi's top five sweet potato producing counties are Calhoun, Chickasaw, Pontotoc, Yalobusha, and Panola. The National Sweet Potato Festival is held annually the entire first week in November in Vardaman (Calhoun County), which proclaims itself as "The Sweet Potato Capital".

The town of Benton, Kentucky, celebrates the sweet potato annually with its Tater Day Festival on the first Monday of April. The town of Gleason, Tennessee, celebrates the sweet potato on Labor Day weekend with its Tater Town Special.

Recently sweet potatoes have gotten a lot of media attention since American actor Matthew Morrison confessed in an interview for Details magazine to go an a sweet potato diet before shootings.

Cultivation

colspan=2	Producers (''in million tonnes'') Data for year 2009
	80.5
	3.3
	2.7
	1.88
	1.32
	1.31
	1.1
	1.0
World	106.5

The plant does not tolerate frost. It grows best at an average temperature of , abundant sunshine and warm nights. Annual rainfalls of are considered most suitable, with a minimum of in the growing season. The crop is sensitive to drought at the tuber initiation stage 50–60 days after planting, and it is not tolerant to water-logging, as it may cause tuber rots and reduce growth of storage roots if aeration is poor.

Depending on the cultivar and conditions, tuberous roots mature in two to nine months. With care, early-maturing cultivars can be grown as an annual summer crop in temperate areas, such as the northern United States. Sweet potatoes rarely flower when the daylight is longer than 11 hours, as is normal outside of the tropics. They are mostly propagated by stem or root cuttings or by adventitious roots called "slips" that grow out from the tuberous roots during storage. True seeds are used for breeding only.

They grow well in many farming conditions and have few natural enemies; pesticides are rarely needed. Sweet potatoes are grown on a variety of soils, but well-drained, light- and medium-textured soils with a pH range of 4.5-7.0 are more favourable for the plant.

New Zealanders grow enough ''kūmara'' to provide each person with per year, and they also import substantially more than this from China.

In the Southeastern U.S., sweet potatoes are traditionally cured to improve storage, flavor, and nutrition, and to allow wounds on the periderm of the harvested root to heal. Proper curing requires drying the freshly dug roots on the ground for two to three hours, then storage at and 90 to 95% relative humidity from five to 14 days. Cured sweet potatoes can keep for thirteen months when kept at and >90% relative humidity. Colder temperatures injure the roots.

Electronic sizing of sweet potatoes was first introduced to the industry by Wayne E. Bailey Produce Company of Chadbourn, North Carolina in 1990.

Diseases

Nutrient content

{{nutritionalvalue | name=Raw Sweet Potato | kJ=360| protein=1.6 g | fat=0.1 g | carbs=20.1 g | fibre=3.0 g | starch=12.7 g| sugars=4.2 g | iron_mg=0.6 | calcium_mg=30.0 | magnesium_mg=25.0 | phosphorus_mg=47.0 | potassium_mg=337 | sodium_mg=55| zinc_mg=0.3 | vitA_ug = 709 | betacarotene_ug=8509 | lutein_ug=0 | vitC_mg=2.4 | vitE_mg=0.26 | pantothenic_mg=0.8 | vitB6_mg=0.2 | folate_ug=11| thiamin_mg=0.1 | riboflavin_mg=0.1 | niacin_mg=0.61 | right=1 | source_usda=1 | source=nutritiondata.com}} Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B₆. Pink, yellow and green varieties are high in carotene, the precursor of vitamin A.

In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato.

Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light-colored flesh, and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa, where vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem. Despite the name "sweet", it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies on animals have revealed it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance.

The peptic substance (0.78 percent total, 0.43 percent soluble) present in fresh tubers contains uronic acid (60%) and methoxyl (4-5%). Other constituents include phytin (1.05%), two monoaminophosphatides (probably lecithin and cephalin), organic acids (oxalic acid), phytosterolin, phytosterol, resins, tannins, and coloring matter.

Culinary uses

Although the leaves and shoots are also edible, the starchy tuberous roots are by far the most important product. In some tropical areas, they are a staple food crop.

Africa

''Amukeke'' (sun-dried slices of storage roots) and ''inginyo'' (sun-dried crushed storage roots) are a staple food for people in northeastern Uganda. ''Amukeke'' is mainly served for breakfast, eaten with peanut sauce. ''Inginyo'' is mixed with cassava flour and tamarind to make ''atapa''. People eat ''atapa'' with smoked fish cooked in peanut sauce or with dried cowpea leaves cooked in peanut sauce.

The young leaves and vine tips of sweet potato leaves are widely consumed as a vegetable in West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, for example), as well as in northeastern Uganda, East Africa. In Japan, this is called ''yaki-imo'' (roasted sweeted potato), which typically uses either the yellow-fleshed Japanese sweet potato or the purple-fleshed (Okinawan) sweet potato.

Sweet potato soup, a Chinese ''tong sui'' (sweet soup) served during winter, consists of boiling sweet potato in water with rock sugar and ginger. Sweet potato greens are a common side dish in Taiwanese cuisine, often boiled or sautéed and served with a garlic and soy sauce mixture, or simply salted before serving. They, as well as dishes featuring the sweet potato root, are commonly found at bento (POJ: ''piān-tong'') restaurants. In northeastern Chinese cuisine, sweet potatoes are often cut into chunks and fried, before being drenched into a pan of boiling syrup.

In Korean cuisine, sweet potato starch is used to produce ''dangmyeon'' (cellophane noodles). Sweet potatoes are also boiled, steamed, or roasted, and young stems are eaten as ''namul''. Pizza restaurants such as Pizza Hut and Domino's in Korea are using sweet potatoes as a popular topping.

In Japan, boiled sweet potato is the most common way to eat it at home. Also, the use in vegetable tempura is common. ''Daigaku-imo'' is a baked sweet potato dessert. Because it is sweet and starchy, it is used in ''imo-kinton'' and some other ''wagashi'' (Japanese sweets), such as ''ofukuimo''. ''Shōchū'', a Japanese spirit normally made from the fermentation of rice, can also be made from sweet potato, in which case it is called ''imo-jōchū''. ''Imo-gohan'', sweet potato cooked with rice, is popular in Guangdong, Taiwan and Japan. It is also served in ''nimono'' or ''nitsuke'', boiled and typically flavoured with soy sauce, ''mirin'' and ''dashi''.

In Malaysia and Singapore, sweet potato is often cut into small cubes and cooked with yam and coconut milk (''santan'') to make a sweet dessert called ''bubur caca''. A favourite way of cooking sweet potato is deep frying slices of sweet potato in batter, and served as a tea-time snack. In homes, sweet potatoes are usually boiled. The leaves of sweet potatoes are usually stir-fried with only garlic or with ''sambal belacan'' and dried shrimp by the Malaysian Chinese.

In some regions of India, fasts of religious nature are an occasion for a change in normal diet, and a total absence from cooking or eating is held as elective while a normal diet for a fasting day is a light feast consisting of different foods from usual, amongst which sweet potato is one of the prime sources of sustenance. Sweet potato is eaten otherwise, too, and a popular variety of preparation in most parts is roasted slow over kitchen coals at night and eaten with some dressing—primarily salt, possibly yogurt—while the easier way in the south is simply boiling or pressure-cooking before peeling, cubing and seasoning for a vegetable dish as part of the meal. Usually the preparations for sweet potato are similar to the blander ones for potato, while the sharper versions—with more green chili or red pepper—are reserved for potato.

In the Philippines, sweet potatoes (locally known as ''camote'' or ''kamote'') are an important food crop in rural areas. They are often a staple among impoverished families in provinces, as they are easier to cultivate and cost less than rice. The tubers are boiled or baked in coals and may be dipped in sugar or syrup. Young leaves and shoots (locally known as ''talbos ng kamote'' or ''camote'' tops) are eaten fresh in salads with shrimp paste (''bagoong alamang'') or fish sauce. They can be cooked in vinegar and soy sauce and served with fried fish (a dish known as ''adobong talbos ng kamote''), or with recipes such as ''sinigang''. The stew obtained from boiling ''camote'' tops is purple-colored, and is often mixed with lemon as juice. Sweet potatoes are also sold as street food in suburban and rural areas. Fried sweet potatoes coated with caramelized sugar and served in skewers (''camote cue'') are popular afternoon snacks. Sweet potatoes are also used in a variant of ''halo-halo'' called ''ginatan'', where they are cooked in coconut milk and sugar and mixed with a variety of rootcrops, sago, jackfruit and ''bilu-bilo'' (glutinous rice balls). Bread made from sweet potato flour are also gaining popularity. Sweet potato is relatively easy to propagate, and in rural areas that can be seen abundantly at canals and dikes. The uncultivated plant is usually fed to pigs.

In the mountainous regions of West Papua, sweet potatoes are the staple food among the natives there. Using the ''bakar batu'' way of cooking (free translation: burning rocks), rocks that have been burned in a nearby bonfire are thrown into a pit lined with leaves. Layers of sweet potatoes, an assortment of vegetables, and pork are piled on top of the rocks. The top of the pile then is insulated with more leaves, creating a pressure of heat and steam inside which cooks all food within the pile after a several hours. In most parts of Indonesia, sweet potatoes are frequently fried with batter and served as snacks.

North America

Candied sweet potatoes are a side dish consisting mainly of sweet potatoes prepared with brown sugar, marshmallows, maple syrup, molasses, orange juice, ''marron glacé'', or other sweet ingredients. Often served in America on Thanksgiving, this dish represents traditional American cooking and of that prepared with the indigenous peoples of the Americas when European American settlers first arrived. Sweet potato casserole is a side dish of mashed sweet potatoes in a casserole dish, topped with a brown sugar and pecan topping. Sweet potato pie is also a traditional favorite dish in Southern U.S. cuisine. Sweet potatoes slices are fried in bacon drippings and eaten with the bacon on toast. This is a traditional autumn breakfast food in rural Kentucky. Sweet potato fries or chips are another common preparation, and are made by julienning and deep frying sweet potatoes, in the fashion of French fried potatoes. Baked sweet potatoes are sometimes offered in restaurants as an alternative to baked potatoes. They are often topped with brown sugar and butter. Sweet potato butter can be cooked into a gourmet spread. Sweet potato mash is served as a side dish, often at Thanksgiving dinner or with barbecue.

New Zealand

Before European contact, the Māori used the small, yellow-skin, finger-sized ''kūmara'' known as ''taputini'' they had brought with them from east Polynesia. From about 1800, American whalers, sealers and trading vessels introduced larger varieties which quickly predominated. In New Zealand, Māori traditionally cooked the ''kūmara'' in a ''hāngi'' earth oven. This is still a common practice when there are large gatherings on ''marae''. Now there are three main varieties of ''kūmara'' grown in the subtropical northern part of the North Island and widely available in New Zealand supermarkets, where they are a popular alternative to potatoes. Trials in New Zealand in 2000-2009 run by Foss Leach, in the Cook Strait area, well south of the ideal warmer north, have shown that the ''taputini'' was capable of producing between 9.8 and 19.5 kg (depending on rainfall) per 5x5m plot in poor soil, with no fertilizer or modern methods. There were several other older Maori kumara varieties including Hutihuti and Rekamaroa.

Other

In the Solomon Islands, and neighboring Melanesian countries (as well as some parts of Polynesia), the sweet potato, along with the yam, also goes by the name ''common desert truffle''.. In Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, sweet potato is commonly referred to as "potato", whereas true potatoes are referred to as "English potato". In Catalonia (northeastern Spain), sweet potato is called ''boniato''. On the evening of All Souls' Day, it is traditional to serve roasted sweet potato and chestnuts, panellets and sweet wine. The occasion is called ''La Castanyada''.

In Veneto (northeast Italy), sweet potato is known as ''patata mericana'' in the Venetian language (''patata americana'' in Italian, meaning "American potato"), and it is cultivated above all in the southern area of the region; it is a traditional fall dish, boiled or roasted.

Nonculinary uses

In South America, the juice of red sweet potatoes is combined with lime juice to make a dye for cloth. By varying the proportions of the juices, every shade from pink to black can be obtained.

All parts of the plant are used for animal fodder.

Sweet potatoes or ''camotes'' are often found in Moche ceramics.

Several selections are cultivated in gardens as ornamental plants for their attractive foliage, including the dark-leafed cultivars 'Blackie' and 'Ace of Spades' and the chartreuse-foliaged 'Margarita'. The species called wild sweet potato vine, man root, or man-of-the-earth, is not edible, but it is cultivated as an ornamental vine.

Researchers at North Carolina State University are breeding sweet potato varieties that would be grown primarily for biofuel production.

Names

Although it is sometimes called a yam, the sweet potato is not in the yam family, nor is it closely related to the common potato. The first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members of Columbus' expedition in 1492. Later explorers found many varieties under an assortment of local names, but the name which stayed was the indigenous Taino name of ''batata''. This name was later transmuted to the similar name for a different vegetable, the ordinary potato, causing confusion from which it never recovered. The first record of the name "sweet potato" is found in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' of 1775.

Australasia

95% of Australia's production is an orange variety named Beauregard sold everywhere as sweet potato. A purple variety, Northern Star, is 4% of production and is sold as Kumara. Kumara is the variety most prevalent in New Zealand as a native Indigenous food acquired by the original Settlers of New Zealand, The Maori, sometime before arrival to the Country. Kumara is particulary popular as a Roasted food or in Contemporary cuisine, as Kumara Chips, usually served with Sour Cream and Sweet Chilli sauce. Occasionally shops in Australasia will label the purple variety "purple sweet potato" to denote its difference to the other varieties.

Spain and Latin America

The Spanish took the Taino name ''batata'' directly, and also combined it with the Quechua word for potato, ''papa'', to create the word ''patata'' for the common potato. In Mexico and Central America, the sweet potato is called by the Nahuatl-derived name ''camote''. In Peru, the Quechua name for a type of sweet potato is ''kumar'', strikingly similar to the Polynesian name ''kumara''.

In South America, Peruvian sweet potato remnants dating as far back as 8000 BC have been found.

In Uruguay, the sweet potato is referred to as ''el boñiato''.

''For other languages' native words for sweet potato, see the Wiktionary entry for "sweet potato"''

Notes

References

Abidin, P.E. 2004. Sweetpotato breeding for northeastern Uganda: Farmer varieties, farmer-participatory selection, and stability of performance. PhD Thesis, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, 152 pp. ISBN 90-8504-033-7.

Ahn, P.M., 1993, "Tropical soils and fertilizer use", Intermediate Trop. Agric. Series. Longman Sci. and Tech. Ltd. UK.

Austin, D.F. 1988. The taxonomy, evolution and genetic diversity of sweetpotatoes and related wild species. In: P. Gregory (ed.). Exploration, maintenance, and utilization of sweetpotato genetic resources, pp. 27–60. CIP, Lima, Peru.

Edmond, J. B., Ammerman, G. R. 1971. Sweet Potatoes: Production, Processing, Marketing. [Major Feed and Food Crops in Agriculture and Food Series.] Westport, Connecticut: The Avi Publishing Company.

Hartemink, A.E., S. Poloma, M. Maino, K.S. Powell, J. Egenae & J. N. Sullivan, (2000). Yield decline of sweet potato in the humid lowlands of Papua New Guinea. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 79 (2-3), 259-269.

Purseglove, J.W. 1991. Tropical crops. Dicotyledons. Longman Scientific and Technical. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. NY. USA.

Verrill, A.H., ''Foods America Gave the World'', 1937, Boston: L.C. Page & Co.

Woolfe, J.A., 1992, "Sweetpotato: an untapped food resource", Cambridge Univ. Press and the International Potato Center (CIP). Cambridge, UK.

Zhang, D.P., M. Ghislain, Z. Huamán, J.C. Cervantes and E.E. Carey 1998. AFLP assessment of sweetpotato genetic diversity in four tropical American regions. CIP Program Report 1997-1998, pp. 303–310.

External links

Sweet Potatoes

BBC: "The mystery of the sweet potato"

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

FAO Leaflet No. 13 - 1990 - Sweet Potato

Japanese Society of Root and Tuber Crops

World's Healthiest Foods: Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Nutrition Information from USDA SR22 database

Category:Crops originating from the Americas Category:Ipomoea Category:Root vegetables Category:Leaf vegetables Category:Tropical agriculture Category:Philippine cuisine Category:Jamaican cuisine Category:Staple foods Category:Hawaiian cuisine Category:Soul food Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States Category:Flora of Jamaica Category:Vietnamese ingredients Category:Puerto Rican ingredients Category:Thai ingredients Category:Tubers

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	John Renbourn
background	solo_singer
born	August 08, 1944Marylebone, London, England
instrument	Acoustic Guitar
genre	Folk/Folk-Rock
occupation	Musician, Songwriter
years active	1961–present
associated acts	Pentangle, The John Renbourn Group, Ship of Fools
past members	}}

John Renbourn (born 8 August 1944, Marylebone, London, England) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is possibly best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence (1967–1973).

While most commonly labelled a folk musician, Renbourn's musical tastes and interests take in early music, classical music, blues and world music. His most influential album, ''Sir John Alot'' (1968), featured his take on songs from the Medieval era.

Career

John Renbourn studied classical guitar at school and it was during this period that he was introduced to Early Music. In the 1950s, along with many others, he was greatly influenced by the musical craze of "Skiffle" and this eventually led him to explore the work of artists such as Lead Belly, Josh White and Big Bill Broonzy.

In the 1960s the new craze in popular music was Rhythm and Blues, also the impact of Davey Graham was being felt. In 1961 Renbourn toured the South West with Mac MacLeod and repeated the tour in 1963.On returning from the South West Renbourn and MacLeod recorded a demo tape together. Renbourn briefly played in an R&B; band while studying at the Kingston College of Art in London. Although the British "Folk Revival" was underway, most folk clubs were biased towards traditional, unaccompanied folk songs, and guitar players were not always welcome. However, the Roundhouse in London had a more tolerant attitude and here, John Renbourn joined blues and gospel singer Dorris Henderson, playing backing guitar and recording two albums with her.

Possibly the best known London venue for contemporary folk music in the early 1960s was "Les Cousins" on Greek Street, Soho, which became the main meeting place for guitar players and contemporary singer-songwriters from Britain and America. Around 1963, Renbourn teamed up with guitarist Bert Jansch who had moved to London from Edinburgh, and together they developed an intricate duet style that became known as "folk baroque". Their album ''Bert and John'' is a fine example of their playing.

Renbourn released several albums on the Transatlantic label during the 1960s. Two of them, ''Sir John Alot'' and ''Lady And The Unicorn'' sum up Renbourn's playing style and material from this period. ''Sir John Alot'' has a mixture of jazz/blues/folk playing alongside a more classical/early music style. ''Lady And The Unicorn'' is heavily influenced by Renbourn's interest in early music.

At around this time, Renbourn also started playing with Jacqui McShee who sang traditional English folk songs. Together with Bert Jansch, bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox, they went on to form Pentangle. The group became very successful, touring America in 1968, playing at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Folk Festival.

Renbourn went on to record more solo albums in the 1970s and 1980s. Much of the music is based on traditional material with a Celtic influence, interwoven with other styles. He also collaborated with American guitarist Stefan Grossman in the late 1970s, recording two albums with him, which at times recall his folk baroque days with Bert Jansch.

In the mid-1980s Renbourn went back to the university to earn a degree in composition. Since then, he has focused mainly on writing classical music, while still performing in folk settings. He also added acoustic guitars for the movie soundtrack ''Scream for Help'', a studio project with his neighbour John Paul Jones.

In 1988, Renbourn briefly formed a group called Ship of Fools with Tony Roberts (flute), Maggie Boyle (lyrics, misc. instruments) and Steve Tilston (guitar). They recorded one eponymous album together. After practising by mailing tapes to each other in England, they held their first concert, comprising two sold-out shows, at Harvard's Hasty Pudding Club Theater. Regrettably, the soundboard bootleg tape was not saved due to a dispute between the concert promoter and the audio engineer.

Renbourn continues to record and tour. He toured the USA with Archie Fisher. In 2005 he toured Japan (his fifth tour of that country) with Tokio Uchida and Woody Mann. In 2006 he played at number of venues in England, including appearances with Robin Williamson and with Jacqui McShee. In the same year, he was working on a new solo album and collaborated with Clive Carroll on the score for the film ''Driving Lessons'', directed by Jeremy Brock.

Guitars

In Renbourn's early recordings, he was using a Scarth guitar. Scarths were English-made guitars, mainly used by dance band players, having maple back and sides, arched top, and tailpiece (like most jazz guitars), but featuring a round soundhole. The guitar is clearly visible on the cover of the 1965 ''John Renbourn'' album.

In the mid 1960s, he acquired a Gibson J-50. This was the main acoustic guitar that he used through the late 1960s and early 1970s: for example, he is seen playing it in the cover picture of the 1967 ''Another Monday'' album. Through that period, he also used a Gibson ES-335 "dot", semi-acoustic guitar, playing it fingerstyle as well as for lead lines.

In the mid 1970s, Renbourn acquired a Guild D-55 which he used on several albums, including his collaborations with Stefan Grossman. Later in the 1970s, having seen the Franklin guitar owned by Grossman, he started using a Franklin OM guitar, based on the style of Martin OM guitars, made by Nick Kukich who founded the Franklin guitar company. Renbourn continues to use this guitar and another OM-style instrument, made by Ralph Bown of York, UK, in 1985.

Discography

Solo albums

''John Renbourn'' (1965)

''Another Monday'' (1967)

''Sir John Alot of Merrie Englandes Musyk Thyng and ye Grene Knyghte'' (1968)

''The Lady and the Unicorn'' (1970)

''Faro Annie'' (1971)

''So Clear'' (1973)

''Heads and Tails'' (1973)

''The Guitar of John Renbourn'' (1976, released 2005, aka ''The Guitar Artistry of John Renbourn'')

''The Hermit'' (1976)

''The Black Balloon'' (1979)

''So Early In The Spring'' (1979)

''One Morning Very Early'' (1979)

''Enchanted Garden'' (1980)

''The Nine Maidens'' (1986)

''Shines Bright'' (1987)

''Folk Blues of John Renbourn'' (1988)

''Medieval Almanac'' (1989)

''Will the Circle Be Unbroken'' (1995)

''Lost Sessions'' (1996)

''Traveller's Prayer'' (1998)

''Palermo Snow'' (2011)

Group albums

With The John Renbourn Group

''A Maid in Bedlam'' (1977)

''The Enchanted Garden'' (1980)

With Ship of Fools

''Ship of Fools'' (1988)

With Pentangle — see Pentangle article

Collaborations

With Dorris Henderson

''There You Go'' (1965)

''Watch the Stars'' (1967)

With Stefan Grossman

''Live In'' (1978)

''John Renbourn and Stefan Grossman'' (1978) (*)

''Under the Volcano'' (1979)

''The Three Kingdoms'' (1986)

(* Selected tracks from ''John Renbourn and Stefan Grossman'' and from ''Under the Volcano'' were re-released under the title ''Keeper of the Vine'' (1982), and a different selection re-released under the title ''Snap a Little Owl'' (1997))

With Bert Jansch

''Bert and John'' (1966) (*)

(* Re-released with additional tracks by Bert Jansch unter the title ''After the Dance'' (1992) on Shanachie)

Compilations

''The Essential Collection Vol 1: The Soho Years'' (1986)

''The Essential Collection Vol 2: The Moon Shines Bright'' (1987)

''Essential John Renbourn'' (1992)

''Collection'' (1995)

''Definitive Transatlantic Collection'' (1998)

''Nobody's Fault But Mine: An Anthology''

Live albums

''Live in America'' (1981) - The John Renbourn Group

''Live ... In Concert'' (1984) - John Renbourn and Stefan Grossman

''Wheel of Fortune'' (1993) - John Renbourn and Robin Williamson

''BBC Live in Concert'' (1998)

''Live In Italy'' (2006)

DVDs

''Rare Performances'' 1965 - 1995 (2004)

''In Concert'' (2004)

References

External links

john-renbourn.com

John Renbourn website

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:English folk guitarists Category:English songwriters Category:Fingerstyle guitarists Category:People from Marylebone

de:John Renbourn es:John Renbourn fr:John Renbourn it:John Renbourn nl:John Renbourn ja:ジョン・レンボーン nn:John Renbourn

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Paula Deen
birth date	January 19, 1947
birth place	Albany, Georgia
style	Southern
restaurants	The Lady & Sons Restaurant, Uncle Bubba's Oyster House
television	''Paula's Home Cooking'' (2002–present)''Paula's Party'' (2006–present)''Paula's Best Dishes'' (2008–present)
awards	2007 Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Host
website	}}

Paula Deen (born January 19, 1947) American cook, cooking show host, restaurateur, author, actress and Emmy Award-winning television personality.

Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. She has also published five cookbooks. Though married in 2004 to Michael Anthony Groover, she continues to use the surname Deen from her first marriage.

Early life

Paula Deen was born in Albany, Georgia. As documented in the Food Network special ''Chefography'' and on her official Web site, both her parents died before she was 23 and an early marriage ended in divorce. Deen suffered from agoraphobia and would not leave her house. She relied on cooking to help deal with her condition. In 1986, she felt well enough to take a job as a bank teller. After that she and her sons moved to Savannah. In 1989, she divorced Jimmy Deen, to whom she had been married since 1965, and expanded her cooking experience into a catering service. She made sandwiches and other meals, which her sons Jamie and Bobby delivered. The Bag Lady, as the business was named, was successful and soon outgrew her kitchen. On January 8, 1996, Deen opened her own restaurant, The Lady & Sons, in downtown Savannah, on West Congress Street. Within a few years, the restaurant moved to a larger building in Savannah's historic district. ''USA Today'' named The Lady & Sons the "International Meal of the Year," in 1999. The specialty is the buffet, which may include sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, deep-fried Twinkies, fried chicken, cheesy meatloaf, greens, beans, and creamed corn. Every meal comes with a garlic cheese biscuit and one of Deen's famous hoecakes. The restaurant is run by her sons when they are in town. The restaurant is a perennial favorite with tourists to Savannah.

Deen parlayed her fame into another restaurant, the "Paula Deen Buffet" at Harrah's Tunica Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The entrance facade of the restaurant, which opened in May 2008, is modeled on Deen's home in Savannah and features Southern fare.

On September 1, 2009, Deen announced plans to unveil her own dessert line at Walmart featuring signature pies (Apple Crunch Top, Dark Rum Pecan, Old Fashioned Fudge and Gooey Butter Cake bars).

Books

In 1997, Deen self-published ''The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking'' and ''The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking 2''. Both cookbooks were filled with traditional Southern recipes, such as "Gooey Butter Cake" (also known as Chess Cake, a variation of a chess pie recipe). The cookbooks were very successful, and she has since published two more, written with help from Martha Nesbit. Deen has appeared on QVC and on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' (first in 2002, twice in 2007 and once in 2010). Her story is featured in ''Extraordinary Comebacks: 201 Inspiring Stories of Courage, Triumph, and Success'' (2007, Sourcebooks). In April 2007, Simon & Schuster published Deen's memoir, ''It Ain't All About the Cookin'''. She launched a lifestyle magazine called ''Cooking with Paula Deen'' in November 2005. which claimed a circulation of 7.5 million in March, 2009.

Food Network

Deen's relationship with Food Network began in 1999, when her friend Erin Lewis introduced her to Gordon Elliott, who then introduced her to her current agent, Artist's Agency owner Barry Weiner. Elliott took her through the city for a series of ''Doorknock Dinners'' episodes. She also appeared on ''Ready, Set, Cook!''. Deen was invited to shoot a pilot named ''Afternoon Tea'' in early 2001. The network liked it, and eventually gave Deen her own show, ''Paula's Home Cooking'', which premiered in November 2002. ''Paula's Home Cooking'' was originally taped in Millbrook, New York at the home of Gordon Elliott, the show's executive producer. Deen mentioned in an interview aired on the March 13, 2006, edition of ''The Daily Buzz'' that the next batch of episodes of her show would be taped at her home in Savannah, Georgia. According to the first of those episodes, actual production at her new Savannah home began in November 2005. Since then, Deen has been given two more Food Network shows, ''Paula's Party'' and ''Paula's Best Dishes''. ''Paula's Party'' premiered on the Food Network in 2006 and ''Paula's Best Dishes'' debuted on June 8, 2008.

A televised biography of Deen was aired on an episode of the Food Network's ''Chefography'' program, in March 2006.

In December 2007, Deen teamed with Cat Cora and faced Chefs Tyler Florence and Robert Irvine in battle Sugar on the holiday special of ''Iron Chef America''. At the end, Deen and Cora won.

Deen also helped Pat and Gina Neely get their first Food Network show, ''Down Home with the Neelys''. During the summer of 2006, her sons, Bobby and Jamie Deen, featured the Neely's Bar-B-Que Nashville location on their Food Network show ''Road Tasted''. In September 2006, Paula ate at the Neely's downtown Memphis restaurant and was impressed. In January 2007, the Neelys were invited to appear on ''Paula's Party'', which eventually led to the ''Down Home'' show. In July 2008, the Neelys would also take over ''Road Tasted'' from the Deen brothers.

In May 2008, Deen announced at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show that she had signed a deal to host a talk show beginning in September 2009.

Deen has appeared in public service announcements for Civitan International.

On February 23, 2011, Deen appeared on the show ''Top Chef'', and sat at the Judges Table.

Personal life

In her 20s, Deen suffered from panic attacks with agoraphobia, eventually becoming virtually housebound.

Deen remarried, on March 6, 2004, to Michael Groover (born 1956), a tugboat captain in the port of Savannah. Michael has two children, Michelle and Anthony, from a previous marriage. The wedding and preparation were documented by Food Network for a show aired in 2004. Their wedding also took place at the Bethesda Home for Boys in Savannah, Georgia. Paula is also an avid supporter of the Bethesda Home for Boys and asked Old Savannah Tours to donate $1 to the organization for each ticket purchased for the Paula Deen Store ticket sale.

Film debut

Deen made her film debut in ''Elizabethtown'', starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. She played the aunt of Bloom's character, and her cooking was showcased heavily. The film premiered on October 8, 2005. A Food Network special, ''Paula Goes Hollywood'', aired in conjunction with the film's premiere.

Awards and honors

In June 2007, Deen won a Daytime Emmy Awards (Outstanding Lifestyle Host) for ''Paula's Home Cooking''.

On October 26, 2010, Deen was selected as the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade. She and the Queen and Court presided over the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day January 1, 2011.

Criticism

Deen has faced some criticism for the high amounts of fat, salt, and sugar in her recipes. She faced even more objections after she released ''Lunch-Box Set'', a cookbook aimed at children, with Barbara Walters saying of the book, "You tell kids to have cheesecake for breakfast. You tell them to have chocolate cake and meatloaf for lunch. And french fries. Doesn't it bother you that you're adding to this?"

Deen is also a spokesperson for Smithfield Foods, a company that has faced allegations of animal cruelty.

Filmography

Year !! Title !! Role
2002–present	''Paula's Home Cooking'' (television)	Host
2005	Elizabethtown (film)>Elizabethtown''
2006–2008	''Paula's Party'' (television)
2006	''Chefography'' (television)
2008–present	''Paula's Best Dishes'' (television)
2009	''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List'' (television)
2009	''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' (television)
2011	''Top Chef'' (television)

References

External links

Deen Home Furniture'

The Lady & Sons restaurant

Uncle Bubba's Oyster House

''Cooking with Paula Deen'' magazine

Paula Deen ... Answers Your Questions Archive at People.com

Category:American chefs Category:American food writers Category:American film actors Category:American television chefs Category:Food Network chefs Category:People from Albany, Georgia Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:People from Savannah, Georgia

fi:Paula Deen