Potack turning
Potack turning is a (not only) nautical expression for potato peeling .
Origin and meaning
The word "Potacke" is an old dialect name for potato, which is still used today, especially in the Franconian region. It was probably brought to Germany by Huguenots , via the name for potatoes patata , which was adopted from Indian into Spanish . It is unclear how this rather southern German expression came to be used in sailors' language . “Turning” describes the typical movement when peeling.
Because of their storability, potatoes were part of the menu in large quantities on ships for a long time, so the cook was assigned assistants to turn potatoes . As a rule, one of the tasks of the baking staff was to support the cook in this.
Being turned off to turn the pot could also be understood as a slight punitive measure - in the sense of “you are useless for anything else” . But it was a comparatively easy task and gave the opportunity for informal conversation.
The joint turning of the pot was definitely a community-building element, in which superiors sometimes also took part in small navy vehicles . Occasionally it also took on a competitive character. On the sailing training ship Gorch Fock of the German Navy , the traditional joint turning is still carried out as part of the nautical training of the officer candidates.