Drought does not warm hearts. This summer is the second hottest ever recorded by Météo-France, and July will even be the driest month ever recorded by the institution. Lack of water, fires… Lack of rainfall has been the source of many problems throughout the season.

However, the consequences will also be felt in the long term because, in the agricultural environment, the damage caused by the weather is unprecedented. Many fruit and vegetable crops have been hard hit.

The potato, the favorite food of the French in 2018 according to a study by FranceAgrimer, is usually produced in large quantities, and it is honored in many meals. However, this year its culture has not escaped the drought, and this food could well run out.

The national union of potato producers (UNPT) indeed fears for this year 2022 “the worst harvest recorded since 2000”, as reported by 20 Minutes. The union specifies in a press release: “The latest samples […] confirm the historical deterioration of national yields of at least 20% compared to the average of the last twenty years, i.e. 1.5 million tonnes lost”.

This low harvest is indeed “the fact of extreme heat correlated with severe drought”. For professionals, “neither the precipitation nor the mild temperatures to come will now be able to reverse this trend”.

It is therefore better to be prepared to consume fewer potatoes and therefore, to potentially give up tasting these ten classics of gastronomy.