Potato

The potato came from the high and cool areas of the Andes mountains. It was grown as a food crop thousands of years ago.^[4] When Spanish conquistadores came to South America in the 1500s, they took potatoes back to Europe.^[5][6]

It took nearly 200 years for the potato to become a widely grown crop. In the 1630s the farmers in Ireland began growing potatoes because they grew well in the poor soils. They also have most of the vitamins that people need to live. When a potato plague destroyed the crop in 1845, the Irish Potato Famine killed many people.^[4][7]

The potato plant is now grown in many parts of the world. Captain William Bligh planted potatoes on Bruny Island, Tasmania in 1792.^[8] In Australia they are now the largest vegetable crop.^[2]

The English word "potato" comes from the Spanish word "patata". The Royal Spanish Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata ('sweet potato') and the Quechua papa ('potato').^[9][10]

• Yukon Gold – developed in Canada^[11]
• Norgleam^[12][13]
• Bismark^[14]
• Coliban^[14]
• Russet
• Pontiac^[14]
• Sequoia^[14]
• Desiree^[14] – cream colored flesh, red skin^[15]
• Bintje^[14]
• Irish grown
• Potattoo
• Hattawa

Scientists in Germany have used genetic engineering to make a potato called the Amfloratus, which could be grown to make starch for making other things in factories.^[16]

Potatoes are almost always eaten cooked. People cook potatoes by boiling, baking, roasting, or frying them. French fries or "chips" are potatoes cut into long pieces and fried until they are soft. Potato chips, often called crisps, are potatoes cut into very thin round pieces and fried until they are hard.