Why was the War of the Bavarian Succession called the Potato War?

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Portrait painting of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, wearing a black and red military coat with medals and a sash, with St. Peter's Basilica visible in the background. — Joseph II Joseph II, Holy Roman emperor, detail of a painting by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni, 1769; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

The War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–1779) was nicknamed the "Potato War" (Kartoffelkrieg) because there was very little actual combat between the opposing forces.1

Instead of engaging in direct battle, the armies of Joseph II and Frederick II focused their efforts on cutting off each other's communication lines and denying one another essential supplies. As the soldiers spent much of their time foraging for food—specifically potatoes—to sustain themselves during this stalemate, contemporaries gave the conflict its derisive name.1