Wild potato species can be found from the southern United States to southern Chile. Genetic studies show that the cultivated potato has a single origin, in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia. Potatoes were domesticated there about 7,000–10,000 years ago from a species in the S. brevicaule complex. Many varieties of the potato are cultivated in the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous.

The Spanish introduced potatoes to Europe in the second half of the 16th century from the Americas. They are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 5,000 different varieties of potatoes. The potato 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 during the 21st century was in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world production as of 2023.

Like the tomato and the nightshades, the potato is in the genus Solanum; the aerial parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in negligible amounts, but if sprouts and potato skins are exposed to light, tubers can become toxic.

The English word "potato" comes from Spanish patata, in turn from Taíno batata, which means "sweet potato", not the plant now known as simply "potato".

The name "spud" for a potato is from the 15th century spudde, a short and stout knife or dagger, probably related to Danish spyd, "spear". Through semantic change, the general sense of short and thick was transferred to the tuber from around 1840.

At least seven languages: Afrikaans, Dutch, Low Saxon, French, (West) Frisian, Hebrew, Persian and some variants of German, use a term for "potato" that means "earth apple" or "ground apple", from an earlier sense of both pome and apple, referring in general to a (apple-shaped) fruit or vegetable.



There are two major subspecies of S. tuberosum. The Andean potato, S. tuberosum andigena, is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated. The Chilean potato S. tuberosum tuberosum, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is in contrast adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century as part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners (possibly including the Russian-American Company) to territories and ports throughout the world, especially their colonies. European and colonial farmers were slow to adopt farming potatoes. However, after 1750, they became an important food staple and field crop and played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine.

It had been thought that most potato cultivars derived from a single origin in southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the S. brevicaule complex. DNA analysis however shows that more than 99% of all current varieties of potatoes are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile.

There are some 5,000 potato varieties worldwide, 3,000 of them in the Andes alone — mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. Over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household. The European Cultivated Potato Database is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK.

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

Immature potatoes may be sold fresh from the field as "creamer" or "new" potatoes and are particularly valued for their taste. They are typically small in size and tender, with a loose skin, and flesh containing a lower level of starch than other potatoes. In the United States they are generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively. In the UK, the Jersey Royal is a famous type of new potato.

Potato dishes vary around the world. Peruvian cuisine naturally contains the potato as a primary ingredient in many dishes, as around 3,000 varieties of the tuber are grown there. Chuño is a freeze-dried potato product traditionally made by Quechua and Aymara communities of Peru and Bolivia. In the UK, potatoes form part of the traditional dish fish and chips. Roast potatoes are commonly served as part of a Sunday roast dinner and mashed potatoes form a major component of several other traditional dishes, such as shepherd's pie, bubble and squeak, and bangers and mash. New potatoes may be cooked with mint and are often served with butter. In Germany, Northern Europe (Finland, Latvia and especially Scandinavian countries), Eastern Europe (Russia, Belarus and Ukraine) and Poland, newly harvested, early ripening varieties are considered a special delicacy. Boiled whole and served un-peeled with dill, these "new potatoes" are traditionally consumed with Baltic herring. Puddings made from grated potatoes (kugel, kugelis, and potato babka) are popular items of Ashkenazi, Lithuanian, and Belarusian cuisine. Cepelinai, the national dish of Lithuania, are dumplings made from boiled grated potatoes, usually stuffed with minced meat. In Italy, in the Friuli region, potatoes serve to make a type of pasta called gnocchi. Potato is used in northern China where rice is not easily grown, a popular dish being 青椒土豆丝 (qīng jiāo tǔ dòu sī), made with green pepper, vinegar and thin slices of potato. In the winter, roadside sellers in northern China sell roasted potatoes.

The alphabetical list of all the potato-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 869 recipes in total:

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Aaloo Gosht (Mutton Curry with Potatoes)      Origin: Pakistan	Alu Achari      Origin: India	Bar à la Monégasque (Sea Bass, Monegasque Style)      Origin: Monaco
Abbachio al Forno (Italian Roast Baby Lamb)      Origin: Italy	Alu ko Achhar (Potatoes with Split Peas)      Origin: Nepal	Barbecued Garlic Potato Wedges      Origin: Britain
Abgousht (Persian Beef Stew)      Origin: Iran	Alu Tarkari (Potato Curry)      Origin: Nepal	Bariis iskukari      Origin: Djibouti
Abrikossuppe (Apricot Soup)      Origin: Denmark	Alu Tarkari (Suriname Potato Masala)      Origin: Suriname	Basic Potato Pizza Dough      Origin: Ireland
Ahlu Hin (Potato Curry)      Origin: Myanmar	Anardana Pakora in Mustard Oil      Origin: India	Bata bil Beyd (Potato and Egg Omelette)      Origin: Algeria
Air Fryer Aloo Bread Pakora      Origin: Britain	Anglo-Indian Mutton Dakbungalow      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Batatis Mahshiya (Stuffed Potatoes)      Origin: Egypt
Air Fryer Baby Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Anna Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Bayrisch Kraut (Pickled Bavarian Cabbage)      Origin: Germany
Air Fryer Baked Potato      Origin: Britain	Apple Cake      Origin: Ireland	Bedmi Aloo      Origin: India
Air Fryer Cheese and Onion Pasty      Origin: Britain	Ardshane House Irish Stew      Origin: Ireland	Beef and Potato Soup      Origin: South Africa
Air Fryer Chips      Origin: Britain	Aromatic Lamb with Ginger and Potatoes      Origin: Ireland	Beef with Paprika and Potatoes      Origin: Ireland
Air Fryer Orange Chicken      Origin: Fusion	Aromatic Pork and Potato Casserole      Origin: Ireland	Beetroot Falafel Pitta with Carrot Slaw      Origin: Britain
Air Fryer Pot Roast      Origin: Canada	Arran Potato Salad      Origin: Scotland	Beetroot-stuffed Parathas      Origin: India
Air Fryer Roast Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Aruban Curry Chicken      Origin: Aruba	Bengali Fish and Potato Curry      Origin: Bangladesh
Air Fryer Steak and Fries Meal      Origin: America	Atklit (Ethiopian Cabbage Potato Bowl)      Origin: Ethiopia	Berkoukes      Origin: Algeria
Air Fryer Tater Tots from Scratch      Origin: America	Aubergine, Potato and Chickpea Balti      Origin: Fusion	Bermuda Chicken Curry      Origin: Bermuda
Air-fryer Mini Hasselback Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Aukstá Zupa (Latvian Pink Soup)      Origin: Latvia	Bermuda Fish Chowder      Origin: Bermuda
Ajiaco Colombiano (Colombian Ajiaco)      Origin: Colombia	Australian Camel Stew      Origin: Australia	Bermuda Fish Chowder II      Origin: Bermuda
Ajlouke de Carottes (Carrot Starter)      Origin: Tunisia	Bûche de Nöel (French Yule Log)      Origin: France	Bermuda Onion and Potato Salad      Origin: Bermuda
Aloo Anardana      Origin: India	Baamiye Suqaar (Meat and Okra Stew)      Origin: Somalia	Bermudan Fishcakes      Origin: Bermuda
Aloo Badun (Potato Badun)      Origin: Sri Lanka	Babka (Meat and Potato Bake)      Origin: Belarus	Bermudan Potato Salad      Origin: Bermuda
Aloo Bhaji      Origin: India	Bacalao à la Gallega (Galician-style Salt Cod)      Origin: Spain	Bhuna Khichuri      Origin: Bangladesh
Aloo Bharta (Indian Mashed Potatoes)      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Bachalu à Gomes (Salt Cod with Potatoes)      Origin: Angola	Biezpienmaize (Latvian Smoked Sprat Salad)      Origin: Latvia
Aloo Dhaniya (Balti Potatoes and Coriander)      Origin: India	Bacon and Cabbage Soup      Origin: Ireland	BIR-style Bombay Aloo      Origin: Britain
Aloo Gobi      Origin: Britain	Bacon and Potato Pie      Origin: England	Blanquette de Poisson au Breton Kari (Fish Blanquette with Breton Kari)      Origin: France
Aloo Kari (Curried Potatoes)      Origin: India	Bacon Clapshot      Origin: Scotland	Boerwors Maalvleis Kerrie (Boerwors Minced Meat Curry)      Origin: South Africa
Aloo ki Bhujia (Pakistani Potato Curry)      Origin: Pakistan	Baekse Karē (Korean Curry Rice)      Origin: Korea	Bombay Aloo (Bombay Potatoes)      Origin: Britain
Aloo Masala (Potato Masala)      Origin: India	Baghali Shevid Polow (Lima Bean with Dill Rice)      Origin: Iran	Bombay Egg and Potato Curry      Origin: Anglo-Indian
Aloo Muttar      Origin: Britain	Bajan Curry Chicken      Origin: Barbados	Bombay Potatoes      Origin: India
Aloo Palya (Potato Curry)      Origin: India	Bajan Curry Chicken 2      Origin: Barbados	Bonava (Meat and Potatoes Stew)      Origin: Mauritania
Aloo Paratha (Flatbread with a Spicy Potato Stuffing)      Origin: India	Bajiyos (Djiboutian Potato Pakoras)      Origin: Djibouti	Bonava (Mauritanian Lamb Stew)      Origin: Mauritania
Aloo Paratha (Potato-stuffed Paratha)      Origin: India	Baked Chips      Origin: Ireland	Borage Soup II      Origin: Britain
Aloo Pie      Origin: Trinidad	Baked Lamb with Potatoes and Artichokes      Origin: Ireland	Bouillabaisse      Origin: France
Aloo Sabzi Kari (Potato Curry)      Origin: India	Baked Potato Towers      Origin: Ireland
Alperrosti (Alpine Rosti)      Origin: Liechtenstein	Balık Çorbası (Mackerel Soup)      Origin: Turkey

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