The potato

Introducing our special guest,

Solanum tuberosum, the “humble tuber”
that spread from its Andean birthplace
across six continents, staving off hunger,
fuelling economic development
and changing the course of world history
12
International Year
of the Potato 2008 flowers
New light on a hidden
treasure

fruit

compound leaf

main stems

lateral stem
CIP

stolons

tuber

mother tuber

roots
The plant The tuber
The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a As the potato plant grows, its compound
herbaceous annual that grows up to leaves manufacture starch that is transferred
100 cm tall and produces a tuber – also called to the ends of its underground stems (or
potato – so rich in starch that it ranks as the stolons). The stems thicken to form a few or
world’s fourth most important food crop, after as many as 20 tubers close to the soil surface.
maize, wheat and rice. The potato belongs to The number of tubers that actually reach
the Solanaceae – or “nightshade”– family of maturity depends on available moisture and
flowering plants, and shares the genus soil nutrients. Tubers may vary in shape and
Solanum with at least 1000 other species, size, and normally weigh up to 300 g each.
including tomato and eggplant. Recent At the end of the growing season, the
research indicates that S. tuberosum is plant’s leaves and stems die down to the soil
divided into two, only slightly different, level and its new tubers detach from their
cultivar groups: Andigenum, which is adapted stolons. The tubers then serve as a nutrient
to short day conditions and is mainly grown store that allows the plant to survive the cold,
in the Andes, and Chilotanum, the potato now and later regrow and reproduce. Each tuber
cultivated around the world. Also known as has from two to as many as 10 buds (or
the “European” potato, the Chilotanum group “eyes”), arranged in a spiral pattern around
is believed to have developed from Andean its surface. The buds generate shoots which
cultivars introduced first into Chile and from grow into new plants when conditions become
there, during the 19th century, into Europe. favourable once more.
A raw potato tuber is rich in micro-
nutrients – the vitamins and minerals that

Chemical composition of the potato tuber

water 72-75% starch 16-20%

protein 2-2.5%
fibre 1-1.8%
fatty acids 0.15%
14
International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure are essential to health. A medium-size potato
contains high levels of potassium and nearly Andean heritage
half the daily adult requirement of vitamin C.
It is also a good source of B vitamins, The story of the potato begins about
and minerals such as phosphorus 8 000 years ago near Lake Titicaca, which sits
and magnesium. at 3 800 m above sea level in the Andes
mountain range of South America, on the
Micronutrients border between Bolivia and Peru. There,
(one raw potato, including skin, 213 g) research indicates, communities of hunters
Minerals and gatherers who had first entered the South
potassium 897 mg American continent at least 7 000 years
phosphorus 121 mg
before, began domesticating wild potato
magnesium 49 mg
iron 1.66 mg
plants that grew around the lake in
Vitamins abundance.
vitamin C 42 mg Some 200 species of wild potatoes are
niacin 2.2 mg found in the Americas. But it was in the
vitamin B6 0.62 mg Central Andes that farmers succeeded in
thiamine 0.17 mg selecting and improving the first of what was
Source: United States National Nutrient Database to become, over the following millennia, a
staggering range of tuber crops. In fact, what
we know as “the potato” (Solanum species
tuberosum) contains just a fragment of the
genetic diversity found in the four recognized
potato species and 5 000 potato varieties still
grown in the Andes.
Although Andean farmers cultivated many
food crops – including tomatoes, beans and
maize – their potato varieties proved
particularly suited to the quechua or “valley”
zone, which extends at altitudes of from 3 100
to 3 500 m along the slopes of the Central
Andes (among Andean peoples, the quechua
was known as the zone of “civilization”). But
farmers also developed a frost-resistant potato
species that survives on the alpine tundra of
the puna zone at 4 300 m.
The food security provided by maize and
potato – consolidated by the development of
 Lake Titicaca,
a centre of Andean
civilization

importance to maize production. But the

potato was fundamental to the food security of
their empire: in the Incas’ vast network of
state storehouses, potato – especially a freeze-
P. WHITEHOUSE

dried potato product called chuño – was one

of the main food items, used to feed officials,
soldiers and corvée labourers, and as an
emergency stock after crop failures.
irrigation and terracing – allowed for the The Spanish invasion, in 1532, brought an
emergence around 500 AD of the Huari end to the Incas – but not to the cultivation of
civilization in the highland Ayacucho basin. potatoes. For, throughout Andean history, the
Around the same time, the city state of potato – in all its forms – was profoundly a
Tiahuanacu rose near Lake Titicaca, thanks “people’s food”, playing a central role the
largely to its sophisticated “raised field” Andean vision of the world (time, for
technology – elevated soil beds lined with example, was measured by how long it took to
water canals – which produced potato yields cook a pot of potatoes).
estimated at 10 tonnes per Farmers in some parts of
hectare . At its height, around the high Andes still measure
800 AD, Tiahuanacu and land in topo, the area a family
neighbouring valleys are needs to grow their potato
believed to have sustained a supply – a topo is larger at
population of 500 000 or more. higher altitudes, where plots
need to lie fallow for longer.
Meteoric rise. The collapse of They classify potatoes not only
Huari and Tiahuanacu between by species and variety, but by
1000 and 1200 led to a period of the ecological niche where the
turmoil that ended with the tubers grow best, and it is not
meteoric rise of the Incas in the unusual to find four species
Cusco valley around 1400. In cultivated on a single, small
less than 100 years, they created plot of land.
the largest state in pre- Planting tubers remains
Columbian America, extending the most important activity
from present-day Argentina The dawn of agriculture of the farming year near Lake
Incan myths relate that the Creator, Viracocha, caused
to Colombia. the sun, moon and stars to emerge from Lake Titicaca. Titicaca, where the potato
The Incas adopted and He also created agriculture when he sent his two sons is known as Mama Jatha,
improved the agricultural to the human realm to study and classify the plants that or mother of growth. The
advances of previous highland grew there. They taught the people to sow crops potato remains the seed
and how to use them so that they would never lack food.
cultures, and gave special of Andean society.

15
THE POTATO
16
International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure

“The potato eaters” (1885)

by Vincent Van Gogh

potato was poisonous. At the same time,

Diffusion however, Europe’s “Age of Discovery” had
begun, and among the first to appreciate
The diffusion of the potato from the Andes to potatoes as food were sailors who took tubers
the rest of the globe reads like an adventure to consume on ocean voyages. That is how the
story, but it began with a tragedy. The Spanish potato reached India, China and Japan early
conquest of Peru between 1532 and 1572 in the 17th century.
destroyed the Inca civilization and caused the The potato also received an unusually
deaths – from war, disease and despair – of at warm welcome in Ireland, where it proved
least half the population. suited to the cool air and moist soils. Irish
The conquistadores came in search of immigrants took the tuber – and the name,
gold, but the real treasure they took back to “Irish potato” – to North America in the
Europe was Solanum tuberosum. The first early 1700s.
evidence of potato growing in Europe dates
from 1565, on Spain’s Canary Islands. By Long summer days. The widespread adoption
1573, the potato was known to be cultivated of the potato as a food crop in the northern
on the Spanish mainland. Soon after, tubers hemisphere was delayed not only by
were being sent around Europe as exotic gifts entrenched eating habits, but by the challenge
– from the Spanish court to the Pope in of adapting a plant grown for millennia in the
Rome; from Rome to the papal ambassador in Andes to the temperate climate of the north.
Mons; and from there to a botanist in Vienna. Only a drop of the rich potato gene pool had
Potatoes were grown in London in 1597 left South America, and it took 150 years
and reached France and the Netherlands before varieties suited to long summer days
soon after. began to appear.
But once the plant had been added to Those varieties arrived at a crucial time. In
botanical gardens and herbalists’ the 1770s, much of continental Europe was
encyclopaedias, interest waned. European devastated by famines, and the potato’s value
aristocracy admired its flowers, but the tubers as a food security crop was suddenly
were considered fit only for pigs and the recognized. Frederick the Great of Prussia
destitute. Superstitious peasants believed the ordered his subjects to grow potatoes as
insurance against cereal crop failure, while the “Potato famine”. But the potato’s success
French scientist Parmentier succeeded in proved a double-edged sword. For the tubers
having the potato declared “edible” (around that were being cloned and cultivated across
the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, North America and Europe belonged to a few,
the President of the United States, Thomas genetically similar varieties. That meant
Jefferson, served French fries to White House they were highly vulnerable: a pest or disease
guests). that struck one plant could spread quickly
After initial hesitation, European farmers – to the rest.
even those in Russia, where the potato was The first sign of impending disaster came
called the “devil’s apple” – began growing in 1844-1845, when a mould disease, late
potatoes on a large scale. The potato became blight, ravaged potato fields across
Europe’s food reserve during the Napoleonic continental Europe, from Belgium to Russia.
wars, and by 1815 it had become a staple crop But the worst came to Ireland, where potato
across northern Europe. By then, the Industrial supplied 80 percent of calorie intake. Between
Revolution was transforming agrarian society 1845 and 1848, late blight destroyed three
in the United Kingdom, displacing millions of potato crops, leading to famines that caused
rural people into crowded cities. In the new the deaths of one million people.
urban environment, the potato became the first The Irish catastrophe led to concerted
modern “convenience food” – energy-rich, efforts to develop more productive and
nutritious, easy to grow on small plots, cheap to disease-resistant varieties. Breeders in Europe
purchase, and ready to cook without expensive and North America, drawing on new potato
processing. germplasm from Chile, produced many of the
Increased potato consumption during the modern varieties that laid the foundation for
19th century is credited with helping to reduce massive potato production in both regions for
the scourge of diseases such as scurvy and most of the 20th century.
measles, contributing to higher birth rates and Meanwhile, European colonialism and
the population explosion in Europe, the United emigration were taking the potato to all
States and the British Empire. corners of the globe. Colonial governors,
missionaries and settlers introduced potato
Papa, patata, potato... growing to the floodplains of Bengal and
While the Incas called it papa (as do modern- Egypt’s Nile delta, the Atlas Mountains of
day Latin Americans), the Spaniards called Morocco, and the Jos plateau in Nigeria.
the potato patata, apparently confusing it
with another New World crop, the sweet Emigrant farmers took the potato to Australia
potato (known as batata). In 1797, the and even to South America, establishing the
English herbalist Gerard referred to the sweet potato in Argentina and Brazil.
potato as “common potatoes”, and for many In the Asian heartland, the tuber moved
years S. tuberosum was known as the “Virginia
potato” or “Irish potato” before finally
along more ancient routes, finding its way
displacing batata as the potato. from the Caucasus to Turkey’s Anatolian

17
THE POTATO
18
International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure plateau, from Russia to western China, and highlands of Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi
from China to the Korean Peninsula. In the and Rwanda.
mountain valleys of Tajikistan, some potato The potato has an extraordinarily rich
types have been grown long enough to be past, and a bright future. While production in
considered “old local varieties”. Europe – the potato’s “second home” for four
The 20th century saw the potato finally centuries – is declining, the potato has ample
emerge as a truly global food. The Soviet room for expansion in the developing world,
Union’s annual potato harvest reached where its consumption is less than a quarter
100 million tonnes. In the years following that of developed countries.
the Second World War, huge areas of arable Today in mountainous Lesotho, many
land in Germany and Britain were dedicated farmers are shifting from maize to potato,
the potato, and countries like Belarus and assisted by an FAO project for production of
Poland produced – and still do – more virus-free seed tubers. In China, agriculture
potatoes than cereals. experts claim that a staggering 30 percent
The potato came into its own as a snack increase in potato yields is within reach.
food. The invention in the 1920s of the And in the Andes, where it all began, the
mechanical potato peeler helped make potato Government of Peru created in July 2008 a
crisps America’s top-selling snack. A national register of Peruvian native potato
restaurant chain founded by the McDonald varieties, to help conserve the country’s rich
brothers in the United States in 1957 spent potato heritage. That genetic diversity, the
millions of dollars to “perfect the French fry”. building blocks of new varieties adapted to the
A Canadian firm, McCain, that began making world’s evolving needs, will help write future
frozen French fries in 1957, expanded to open chapters in the story of Solanum tuberosum.
57 production facilities on six continents and
now supplies one third of all French fried
potatoes produced internationally.

Exploding demand. From the 1960s,

cultivation of the potato began to expand in
the developing world. In India and China
alone, total production rose from 16 million
tonnes in 1960 to almost 100 million in 2007.
In Bangladesh, potato has become a valuable
winter cash crop, while potato farmers in
Southeast Asia have tapped into exploding
demand from food industries. In sub-Saharan
Africa, potato is a preferred food in many
urban areas, and an important crop in the
 HARJONO DJOYOBISONO
Potato fields However, it is also vulnerable to a number
in central Java,
Indonesia of pests and diseases. To prevent the build-up
Cultivation of pathogens in the soil, farmers avoid
growing potatoes on the same land from year
Potato is grown in more than 100 countries, to year. Instead, they grow potatoes in
under temperate, subtropical and tropical rotations of three or more years, alternating
conditions. It is essentially a “cool weather with other, dissimilar crops, such as maize,
crop”, with temperature being the main beans and alfalfa. Crops susceptible to the
limiting factor to production: tuber growth is same pathogens as the potato (e.g. tomato)
sharply inhibited in temperatures below 10°C are avoided, in order to break the
and above 30°C , while optimum yields are development cycle of potato pests.
obtained where mean daily temperatures are With good agricultural practices, including
in the 18 to 20°C range. irrigation when necessary, a hectare of potato
For that reason, potato is planted in early in the temperate climates of northern Europe
spring in temperate zones and late winter and North America can yield more than
in warmer regions, and grown during the 40 tonnes of fresh tubers within four months
coolest months of the year in hot tropical of planting. In most
climates. In some sub-tropical highlands, developing countries, however,
mild temperatures and high solar radiation Selecting seed potato average yields are much lower
Seed potato is usually the most
allow farmers to grow potatoes throughout expensive input to potato – ranging from as little as
the year, and to harvest tubers within 90 days cultivation, accounting 5 to 25 tonnes – owing to lack
of planting (in temperate climates, such for from 30 to of high quality seed and
as in northern Europe, that can take 50 percent of improved cultivars, lower rates
production costs.
up to 150 days). In areas of of fertilizer use and irrigation,
The potato is a very accommodating and developing countries where no and pest and disease problems.
adaptable plant, and will produce well even formal seed supply system exists,
without ideal soil and growing conditions. farmers have devised their own
ad hoc method for selecting seed
tubers: they sell the largest
potatoes for cash, eat the medium-
sized ones at home, and keep the
smallest as future planting
material.
19
THE POTATO
20
International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure Soil and land preparation to farmers’ own seed, but expected profits
The potato can be grown on almost any type must offset the higher cost.
of soil, except saline and alkaline. Naturally The planting density of a row of potatoes
loose soils, which offer the least resistance to depends on the size of the tubers chosen, while
enlargement of the tubers, are preferred, and the inter-row spacing must allow for ridging
loamy and sandy loam soils that are rich in of the crop (see below). Usually, about two
organic matter, with good drainage and tonnes of seed potatoes are sown
aeration, are the most suitable. Soil with a pH per hectare. For rainfed production in dry
range of 5.2 – 6.4 is considered ideal. areas, planting on flat soil gives higher
Growing potatoes involves extensive yields (thanks to better soil water
ground preparation. The soil needs to be conservation), while irrigated crops are
harrowed until completely free of weed roots. mainly grown on ridges.
In most cases, three ploughings, along with
frequent harrowing and rolling, are needed Crop care
before the soil reaches a suitable condition: During the development of the potato canopy,
soft, well-drained and well-aerated. which takes about four weeks, weeds must be
controlled in order to give the crop a
Planting “competitive advantage”. If the weeds are
The potato crop is usually grown not from large, they must be removed before ridging
seed but from “seed potatoes” – small tubers operations begin. Ridging (or “earthing up”)
or pieces of tuber sown to a depth of 5 to consists of mounding the soil from between
10 cm. Purity of the cultivars and healthy the rows around the main stem of the potato
seed tubers are essential for a successful plant. Ridging keeps the plants upright and
crop. Tuber seed should be disease-free, the soil loose, prevents insect pests such as the
well-sprouted and from 30 to 40 g in weight. tuber moth from reaching the tubers, and
Use of good quality commercial seed can helps prevent the growth of weeds.
increase yields by 30 to 50 percent, compared After earthing up, weeds between the

Stages in crop development

BRITISH POTATO COUNCIL

1. Planted seed tuber 2. Vegetative growth 3. Tuber initiation 4. Tuber bulking

Potato varieties
Although the potato cultivated worldwide belongs to just one botanical species,
Solanum tuberosum, the tubers come in thousands of varieties with great differences
in size, shape, colour, texture, cooking characteristics and taste.
Here is a small sample of potato diversity:

CIP 1,6, NIVAP HOLLAND 2,12,13,14, CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY 3,5,11,
LAPIN KEITTIÖMESTARIT 4, ABSTRACT GOURMET 9, WIKIMEDIA 7,8,10, JL GONTERRE 15
1. Atahualpa 2. Nicola 3. Russet Burbank 4. Lapin puikula 5. Yukon Gold
Bred in Peru, a high Widely grown Dutch The classic American Grown in Finland for A Canadian potato with
yielding variety good variety, one of the best potato, excellent for centuries, in fields buttery yellow flesh
for both baking and for boiling, also good in baking and French fries bathed in the light of suitable for frying,
frying salads the midnight sun boiling, mashing

6. Tubira 7. Vitelotte 8. Royal Jersey 9. Kipfler 10. Papa colorada

CIP-bred variety grown A gourmet French From the Isle of Jersey: Hails from Germany. Brought to the Canary
in West Africa. White variety prized for its the only British Elongated with cream Islands by passing
flesh, pink skin deep blue skin and vegetable with an EU flesh, popular in salads Spanish ships in 1567
violet flesh designation-of-origin

11. Maris Bard 12. Désirée 13. Spunta 14. Mondial 15. Unknown
Bred in the United Red-skinned, with Another popular A Dutch potato with One of more than 5 000
Kingdom, a white yellow flesh and a commercial tuber, good smooth good looks. native varieties still
variety with a soft waxy distinctive flavour for boiling and roasting Boils and mashes well grown in the Andes
texture good for boiling

growing plants and at the top of the ridge are Manuring and fertilization
removed mechanically or by using herbicides. The use of chemical fertilizer depends on the
Ridging should be done two or three times at level of available soil nutrients – volcanic
an interval of 15 to 20 days. The first should soils, for example, are typically deficient in
be done when the plants are about 15-25 cm phosphorus – and in irrigated commercial
high; the second is often done to cover the production, fertilizer requirements are
growing tubers. relatively high. However, the potato can
benefit from application of organic manure at

21
THE POTATO
22
International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure the start of a new rotation: it provides a good Pests and diseases
nutrient balance and protects the structure of A few basic precautions against diseases –
the soil. Crop fertilization requirements need crop rotation, using tolerant varieties and
to be correctly estimated according to the healthy, certified seed tubers – can help avoid
expected yield, the potential of the variety and great losses. There is no chemical control for
the intended use of the harvested crop. bacterial and viral diseases but they can be
controlled by regular monitoring (and when
Water supply necessary, spraying) of their aphid vectors.
The soil moisture content must be maintained The severity of fungal diseases such as late
at a relatively high level. For best yields, a 120 blight depends, after the first infection, mainly
to 150 day crop requires from 500 to 700 mm on the weather – persistence of favourable
of water. In general, water deficits in the conditions, without chemical spraying, can
middle to late part of the growing period tend quickly spread the disease.
to reduce yield more than those in the early Insect pests can wreak havoc in a potato
part. Where supply is limited, water should be patch. Recommended control measures
directed towards maximizing yield per hectare include regular monitoring and steps to
rather than being applied over a larger area. protect the pests’ natural enemies. Even
Because the potato has a shallow root damage caused by the Colorado potato beetle,
system, yield response to frequent irrigation a major pest, can be reduced by destroying
is considerable, and very high yields are beetles, eggs and larvae that appear early in
obtained with mechanized sprinkler systems the season, while sanitation, crop rotations
that replenish evapotranspiration losses every and use of resistant potato varieties help
one or two days. Under irrigation in temperate prevent the spread of nematodes.
and subtropical climates, a crop of about
120 days can produce yields of 25 to Harvesting
35 tonnes/ha , falling to 15 to 25 tonnes/ha Yellowing of the potato plant’s leaves and easy
in tropical areas. separation of the tubers from their stolons
indicate that the crop has reached maturity.
If the potatoes are to be stored rather than
consumed immediately, they are left in
the soil to allow their skins to thicken – thick
skins prevent storage diseases and shrinkage
due to water loss. However, leaving tubers
for too long in the ground increases their
exposure to a fungal incrustation called
black scurf.
To facilitate harvesting, the potato vines
should be removed two weeks before the
 NICOLAS MARTELLA
potatoes are dug up. Depending on the scale
of production, potatoes are harvested using a
spading fork, a plough or commercial potato
harvesters that unearth the plant and shake
or blow the soil from the tubers. During
harvesting, it is important to avoid bruising or
other injury, which provide entry points for
storage diseases. Potatoes awaiting sale
in La Plata, Argentina
Storage Uses of potato
Since the newly harvested tubers are
living tissue – and therefore subject to Once harvested, potatoes are used for a variety
deterioration – proper storage is essential, of purposes, and not only as a vegetable for
both to prevent post-harvest losses of potatoes cooking at home. In fact, it is likely that less
destined for fresh consumption or processing, than 50 percent of potatoes grown worldwide
and to guarantee an adequate supply of seed are consumed fresh. The rest are processed

ALESSANDRA BENEDETTI/FAO
tubers for the next cropping season. into potato food products and food
For ware and processing potatoes, storage ingredients, fed to cattle, pigs and chickens,
aims at preventing “greening” (the build up processed into starch for industry, and re-used
of chlorophyll beneath the peel, which is as seed tubers for growing the next season’s
associated with solanine, a potentially toxic potato crop.
alkaloid) and losses in weight and quality.
The tubers should be kept at a temperature of Food uses: fresh, “frozen”,
6 to 8°C degrees, in a dark, well-ventilated dehydrated
environment with high relative humidity (85 FAO estimates that just over two-thirds
to 90 percent). Seed tubers are stored, instead, of the 320 million tonnes of potatoes
under diffused light in order to maintain their produced in 2005 were consumed by people
germination capacity and encourage as food, in one form or another. Home-grown
development of vigorous sprouts. In regions, or purchased in markets, fresh potatoes
such as northern Europe, with only one are baked, boiled or fried and used
cropping season and where storage of tubers in an astonishing range of recipes:
from one season to the next is difficult mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, potato
without the use of costly refrigeration, dumplings, twice-baked potatoes, potato soup,
off-season planting may offer a solution. potato salad and potatoes au gratin,
to name a few.
However, the global consumption of potato
as food is shifting from fresh potatoes to
added-value, processed food products.

23
THE POTATO
 24
International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure One of the main items in that category goes higher viscosity than wheat and maize
by the unappetizing name of frozen potatoes, starches, and delivers a more tasty product. It
but includes most of the French fries (“chips” is used as a thickener for sauces and stews,
in the United Kingdom) served in restaurants and as a binding agent in cake mixes, dough,
and fast food chains worldwide. The biscuits and ice-cream.
production process is fairly simple: peeled Finally, in eastern Europe and
potatoes are shot through cutting blades, Scandinavia, crushed potatoes are heated to
UMAMI

parboiled, air dried, par fried, frozen and convert their starch to fermentable sugars that
packaged. The world’s appetite for factory- are used in the distillation of alcoholic
made French fries is estimated at more than beverages such as vodka and akvavit.
11 million tonnes a year.
Another processed product, the potato crisp Non-food uses: Glue, animal feed
(“chips” in the United States), is the long- and fuel-grade ethanol
standing king of snack foods in many Potato starch is also widely used by the
developed countries. Made from thin slices of pharmaceutical, textile,
deep-fried or baked potato, they come in a wood and paper industries
M. ALVES

variety of flavours – from simple salted to as an adhesive, binder,

“gourmet” varieties tasting of roast beef and texture agent and filler, and
C. FROGGENHALL

Thai chili. Some crisps are produced using a by oil drilling firms to wash
dough made from dehydrated potato flakes. boreholes. Potato starch is a
Dehydrated potato flakes and granules 100% biodegradable
are made by drying a mash of cooked potatoes substitute for polystyrene
to a moisture level of 5 to 8 percent. Flakes are and other plastics and used, for example, in
JIANGSU CORP.

used in retail mashed potato products, as disposable plates, dishes and knives.
ingredients in snacks, and even as food aid: Potato peel and other “zero value” wastes
as part of its international food assistance, from potato processing are rich in starch that
the United States has distributed potato flakes can be liquefied and fermented to produce
to more than 600 000 people. Another fuel-grade ethanol. A study in Canada’s
dehydrated product, potato flour, is ground potato-growing province of New Brunswick
from cooked, whole potatoes and retains a estimated that 440 000 tonnes of processing
distinct potato taste. Gluten-free and rich in waste could produce 4 to 5 million litres of
starch, potato flour is used by the food ethanol.
JIANGSU CORP.

industry to bind meat mixtures and thicken One of the first widespread uses of the
gravies and soups. potato in Europe was as farm animal feed. In
Modern starch processing can retrieve as the Russian Federation and other East
much as 96 per cent of the starch found in European countries, as much as half of the
raw potatoes. A fine, tasteless powder with potato harvest is still used for that purpose.
“excellent mouth-feel”, potato starch provides Cattle can be fed up to 20 kg of raw potatoes
 OSCAR MARÍN REPOLLER
a day, while pigs fatten quickly on a daily diet
of 6 kg of boiled potatoes. Chopped up and
added to silage, the tubers cook in the heat of
fermentation.

Seed potatoes: renewing the cycle...

Unlike other major field crops, potatoes are
reproduced Traditional dish
vegetatively, from of the Canary
other potatoes. Potatoes Islands

Therefore, a part of
in the kitchen
D. MARIJNE

each year’s crop

– ranging from 5 to
15 percent, depending on the quality of the What has made the “humble tuber” the
harvested tubers – is set aside for re-use in the world’s No. 4 food crop is not only its
next planting season. Most farmers in nutritional value but its amazing versatility in
developing countries select and store their the kitchen. Potatoes are the world’s most
own seed tubers. In developed countries, popular vegetable, and have been welcomed
farmers are more likely to purchase disease- into the cuisines of countries around the
free “certified seed” from dedicated suppliers. globe. Potatoes are used in curries in India
More than 13 percent of France’s potato and in pasta in Italy, stewed with bananas in
growing area is used to produce seed potatoes, Costa Rica, baked with rice in Iran, stuffed
and the Netherlands exports some 700 000 with liver in Belarus, stir-fried with green
tonnes of certified seed a year. beans in Ethiopia, and simmered with
smoked haddock in winter soups in Finland.
The secret of the potato’s success is its great
diversity: in Peru, a potato salad may include
three or four different types. While the choice
of tubers is more limited elsewhere, modern
varieties of Solanum tuberosum offer a wide
range of cooking characteristics suitable for
hundreds of different dishes. Some give soups
a creamy density, providing a delicate taste
that highlights other ingredients. Other
potatoes are great when baked, served as a
simple snack or with a filling as a complete
meal. Roast potatoes – crisp and golden
outside and fluffy inside – are the perfect

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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure accompaniment to roast meat. Smooth, Medium-starch (or “all
creamy, mashed potato is said to be the purpose”) potatoes include
“ultimate comfort food”, while “new” long white, round white and
potatoes, steamed or boiled, are considered a yellow potatoes, such as Yukon

J .JULIAN
special delicacy. Gold, German Butterball and
Most potato recipes are easy to prepare. But Nicola, as well as purple-
choosing the right potato variety is essential fleshed tubers. They are more moist than
for a successful potato dish – in the kitchen, baking potatoes, but – some say – have a
potatoes are classified according to their blander taste. Ideal for steaming, they go well
starch content, which determines how they in stews and in baked, roasted, pan-fried and
react to cooking. Basically, the more starch au gratin dishes.
they contain, the more easily the tuber’s
starch cells burst when heated. Low-starch potatoes are called “waxy”
for their glossy skins. These moist tubers keep
Choosing the “right potato” their shape during cooking,
High-starch potatoes, also called “floury” making them the best choice
potatoes, generally have coarse, corky skin for boiling, sautés, stews and
K. PUGH

and a dry texture (due to lower salads (in France, waxy

levels of moisture). Boiled, they varieties are preferred for
tend to fall apart. But they are making thick mashed potato). Use fingerling
S. GILBERT

unbeatable for baking, making and round reds, or “new” (immature, of any
French fries, and yielding light, variety) potatoes.
fluffy mashed potato. Common high-starch
varieties are Russets, Bintje, King Edward
and Maris Piper.

Factsheets. To deepen understanding

of the potato’s role in world agriculture,
the economy and global food security,
FAO specialists compiled a series
of factsheets on key issues
in potato development.
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
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International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure
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THE POTATO
46
International Year
of the Potato 2008
New light on a hidden
treasure