Turns Out, Guinness Was Right To Question The 'World's Largest Potato'
One spud-spawning New Zealand couple had their world record dreams dashed this week when they received news that their potentially record-shattering potato was an imposter.
Late last year, gardeners Colin and Donna Craig-Brown discovered what they believed to be the world's largest potato in their garden: a 17.4-pound mega spud that the couple dubbed "Doug." According to CNN, the massive tuber, which was discovered when the couple were readying their small farm for spring planting, outweighed the current world record-holding spud by a staggering seven pounds.
Prior to the Craig-Browns' discovery, the Guinness World Records Heaviest Potato title has belonged to U.K. gardener Peter Glazebrook and his 10-pound 14-ounce potato. Glazebrook had previously won the heaviest potato title with an 8-pound 4-ounce stud in 2010, shares BBC, before breaking his own record a year later. The gardener also currently holds the world records for heaviest eggplant and heaviest cauliflower.
While it appeared for a moment that the Hamilton, New Zealand-based couple had bested one of Britain's premiere monster vegetable-growers, the World Record organization had its doubts about the massive vegetable and decided to send a chunk of the potato to a DNA testing lab in Scotland to verify whether or not the tuber is in fact a potato (via The Times).
The world's heaviest 'potato' was revealed to be an imposter
According to the Associated Press, in sad news for mega-potato enthusiasts around the world, the scientists who tested the tuber's DNA determined that the vegetable the Craig-Browns unearthed wasn't a potato after all, but rather the tuber of a gourd.
Although the lumpy brown root vegetable looks like a potato — and, according to Colin Craig-Brown, tastes like a potato — its true identity as part of the gourd family invalidates it from receiving the heaviest potato title. The Guinness World Records organization informed the Craig-Browns via email that their potato's world record application was disqualified as a result of the DNA results.
Despite the dashing of its world record dream, Doug the potato — which the couple has taken to towing around in a small cart — has still become somewhat of a local celebrity, winning the hearts of spud lovers near and far. As Colin Craig-Brown put it to the Associated Press, Doug will forever live on as "the world's biggest not-a-potato."