potato

The potato (also referred to as tater, tattie, and spud) is a root vegetable that is part of the plant Solanum tuberosum. This perennial is part of the family Solanaceae or the nightshades. In many contexts, the word potato refers to the edible starchy tuber portion of the plant, but it can also refer to the plant itself, which is native to the Americas.
Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated by indigenous peoples of the Americas independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.
Potatoes were introduced to Europe from the Americas in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially Northern and Eastern Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.
Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. Morning Glory

    Recipe Tray baked chicken thighs with preserved lemon, saffron and potatoes

    Preserved lemon, saffron and olives bring Middle Eastern flavours to this easy chicken tray bake and the potatoes soak up the delicious juices from the chicken. The lemon curd glaze is optional but it does provide an unusual sweet citrus taste to the chicken. I served this dish with a crisp...
  2. Butterfly Pork Chops, Mash Potatoes and Pork Gravy

    Butterfly Pork Chops, Mash Potatoes and Pork Gravy

    Butterfly Pork Chops, Mash Potatoes and Pork Gravy
  3. SatNavSaysStraightOn

    Recipe New England Vegetable Chowder

    This is another of our old favourites from the long since deceased BBC Vegetarian Good food magazine which ceased publication back in the 90's! If you are making a dairy free version then you have a couple of options but by far the best tasting is to switch to homemade cashew nut milk and...
  4. A

    Tips for a butternut squash and sweet potato mash

    Looking for any advice on the following. I'm looking for something healthy and low calorie yet tasty (hence the olive oil). A few specific questions. How much olive oil should I use? I thought the oil would enhance the flavour of the spices, but most seemed to stay in the pan when I took it...
  5. Packaged O'Brien Hash Browns with Onions and Peppers

    Packaged O'Brien Hash Browns with Onions and Peppers

    Packaged O'Brien Hash Browns with Onions and Peppers
  6. Packaged Instant Mash Potato Flakes

    Packaged Instant Mash Potato Flakes

    Packaged Instant Mash Potato Flakes
  7. Frico.jpg

    Frico.jpg

  8. Frico, served.jpg

    Frico, served.jpg

  9. Frico, ready.jpg

    Frico, ready.jpg

  10. Cooking Frico.jpg

    Cooking Frico.jpg

  11. Cooking Frico.jpg

    Cooking Frico.jpg

  12. GadgetGuy

    Sweet Potatoes.

    Did anyone know that in addition to being more healthy for you than regular French fries, that if you accidently make something like gravy too salty, that by adding a few pieces of sweet potatoes can make the gravy far less salty? I never knew that until one day, I tried it & was so amazed that...
  13. medtran49

    Recipe Irish twice baked potatos

    I'm not going to get these made before the challenge ends so am posting without a picture. Ingredients 4 large russet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each) 2 tsp EVOO 1-1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed 1/2 small savoy cabbage (about 12 ounces) 4 scallions 4 ounces aged Irish...
  14. kaneohegirlinaz

    Recipe My Portuguese Bean Soup

    This dish is a Hawaii standard. You'll find this hearty Soup served everywhere. There are as many different recipes as there are cooks making it. This is my version of Portuguese Bean Soup, but this time I tried a twist ... I started with the Ham Hock Broth made in a 6 quart Instant Pot. That...
  15. TastyReuben

    Recipe Cottage Ham Boiled Dinner

    Cottage Ham Boiled Dinner Serves 4-6 Ingredients 1-1/2 pound cottage ham* 1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks 1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved 1 small onion, quartered 1-1/2 pounds turnips, peeled and quartered 1/2 head large green cabbage, cut into four wedges, core...
  16. Loin Tritip Steak and a Baked Potato with Cheese

    Loin Tritip Steak and a Baked Potato with Cheese

    Loin Tritip Steak and a Baked Potato with Cheese
  17. SatNavSaysStraightOn

    Recipe Colcannon

    I love the simplicity of this recipe. Quantities really do not need to be exact and if you want to use dairy milk and dairy butter, it really won't affect it. The original recipe says to peel the potatoes, but I can tell you now that that is not necessary at all. The greens can be pretty much...
  18. Tritip Steak, King Crab Leg and Potato with Sauvignon Blancb Wine

    Tritip Steak, King Crab Leg and Potato with Sauvignon Blancb Wine

    Tritip Steak, King Crab Leg and Potato with Sauvignon Blancb Wine
  19. karadekoolaid

    Recipe Bubble & Squeak

    This is a "classic" British breakfast dish, although basically it´s judicious use of leftovers - yesterday´s cabbage and yesterday´s roast potatoes. Here´s a "start from scratch" recipe. Quantities are approximate because, as I said, it depends on what you´ve got left. Ingredients: 1/4 of a...
  20. Mulligan Stew

    Mulligan Stew

    Mulligan Stew
Back
Top Bottom