Potato Basics

The potato is a perennial plant that is cultivated as an annual. The aerial (above-ground) portion of the plant consists of stems that can sometimes grow to a height of three feet and that bear oblong leaves. Potatoes are harvested after flowering, when the plants begin to yellow. The only edible part of the plant is the tuber, the thickened end of the plant’s stem, which grows underground and may be round, oval, or oblong in shape. The tubers can be smooth or rough and often have eyes, round holes in the potatoes’ skin, out of which new buds eventually grow. The skin can be varying shades of red, brown, yellow, green, or purplish red, and covers a white or yellow flesh. Potatoes are perishable and bruise easily.

Culti­vated for between 4,000 and 7,000 years in the Andean regions of Bolivia and Peru, the potato has been a staple in the diet of Andean societies since ancient times. It was originally a wild plant, and it is believed that the variety selected for cultivation was less bitter than its wild-growing relative. At the beginning of the 16th century, Spanish explorers ­discovered that potatoes prevented scurvy and began to carry them on their ships. Shortly after the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe, the Italians and Germans also began to grow and consume it.

It wasn’t until the 18th century that potato cultivation became more widely spread across northern Europe. Around the same period in Ireland, potatoes were cultivated as a solution to frequent food shortages. However, in 1845 and 1846, a parasite destroyed the potato crop, resulting in a terrible famine that led to a massive exodus of the population, with many Irish emigrating to the United States. It was only in the 19th century that the potato began to be cultivated on a large scale in the United States. Today the main potato-producing countries include Russia (and the former Soviet Republics), Poland, China, the United States, and India.

More than 3,000 varieties of potato exist, though only about 100 are used for human consumption. These varieties differ widely not only in shape, color, and size but also in flavor and starch content. Among the most popular types are the Yukon Gold, Russet (also called Idaho), and the White Round potato. Several other more exotic types of potatoes are shown here.