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 873 recipes in total:

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Mugir Kosha (Chicken Kosha)      Origin: India	Ottogi Karē (Ottogi Curry)      Origin: Korea	Pisca Stoba (Fish Stew)      Origin: Puerto Rico
Mukimo (Potato and Pumpkin Mash)      Origin: Kenya	Oyster Stew      Origin: Britain	Pish-pash      Origin: Anglo-Indian
Mullet Soup      Origin: Cornwall	Pâo de Batata de Assadeira (Baked Potato Bread)      Origin: Brazil	Plo      Origin: St Helena
Mulligatawny Soup      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Pan di Spagna      Origin: Italy	Plokkfiskur (Icelandic fish stew)      Origin: Iceland
Mumbai Pav Bhaji      Origin: India	Pan Haggerty      Origin: England	Pokhlyobka (Mushroom and Barley Soup)      Origin: Russia
Mussel Pie      Origin: Bermuda	Pan-fried Sea Bass with Lemon Mash      Origin: Britain	Pollack Pie with Crushed Potato Topping      Origin: Britain
Mustard Beef with Potato Gratin      Origin: Australia	Pan-fried Venison Liver with Onions and Mustard Mash      Origin: Britain	Pollo Alla Cacciatora (Sammarinese Chicken Cacciatore)      Origin: San Marino
Mutton and Potato Pies      Origin: Britain	Paneer Kofta      Origin: India	Porc-Colombo      Origin: Guadeloupe
Mutton Cutlets with Mashed Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Paneer Paratha      Origin: India	Pork and Seaweed Pie with Potato Crust      Origin: England
Nactamales      Origin: Nicaragua	Paneer Sukka      Origin: India	Pork Menudo      Origin: Philippines
Naga Curry      Origin: Fusion	Parisienne Potatoes      Origin: France	Pork Pasty      Origin: England
Nastavovaná kaše s osmaženou cibulkou (Sour Potatoes)      Origin: Czech	Parmentier de Canard (Duck Parmentier)      Origin: France	Pork, Potato and Fennel Casserole      Origin: Ireland
Ndengu (Lentil Stew)      Origin: Kenya	Parmentier Potatoes      Origin: France	Pot Roast Turkey Drumstick      Origin: Fusion
Nettle Aloo      Origin: Fusion	Parseli Brithyll a Thatws Cynnar (Trout and New Potato Parcels)      Origin: Welsh	Potage Bonne Femme      Origin: France
Nettle and Wild Garlic Soup      Origin: Britain	Pastai Briwgig Eidion a Nionod (Welsh Beef Mince and Onion Pies)      Origin: Welsh	Potage Darblay      Origin: Britain
Nettle Gnocchi with Dandelion Greens      Origin: Britain	Pastai cig carw gyda chennin a chaead thatws rosti (Venison Pie with Leeks and Rosti Topping)      Origin: Welsh	Potaje de Garbanzo e Collejas (Chickpea Stew with Bladder Campion)      Origin: Spain
New Potato and Fennel Kebabs      Origin: Ireland	Pastai Cocos, Tatws a Chennin (Cockle, Potato and Leek Pie)      Origin: Welsh	Potatas a la Huancaína (Huancaínan Potatoes)      Origin: Peru
New Potato Curry      Origin: Britain	Pastai Cymreig Cocos a Chennin (Welsh Cockle and Leek Pie)      Origin: Welsh	Potato and Apple Fadge      Origin: Ireland
New Potato Parcels      Origin: Ireland	Pastai Pysgotwr (Fisherman's Pie)      Origin: Welsh	Potato and Asparagus Salad      Origin: Ireland
New Year's Eve Latkes      Origin: Germany	Pastai Tatws (Potato Pie)      Origin: Welsh	Potato and Aubergine Layer Pie      Origin: British
New Zealand Beef Curry      Origin: New Zealand	Pastai Ystumllwynarth (Oystermouth Pie)      Origin: Welsh	Potato and Bean Casserole with Tomatoes      Origin: Ireland
New Zealand Coconut Lamb Curry with Cashews      Origin: New Zealand	Pastai'r Bwthyn (Cottage-style Pie)      Origin: Welsh	Potato and Broccoli Gratin with Goat's Cheese      Origin: Ireland
Nga Atoiba Thongba (Manipuri Broken Fish Curry)      Origin: India	Pastei'r Porthmon (Drover's Pie)      Origin: Welsh	Potato and Coriander Soup      Origin: Ireland
Nigerian Meat Pasties      Origin: Nigeria	Pastel de Jamón (Ham Cakes)      Origin: Peru	Potato and Fat Hen Frittata      Origin: Britain
Ñoquis de Papa (Potato Gnocchi)      Origin: Uruguay	Pastel de Papas con Tres Quesos (Potato Cake with Three Cheeses)      Origin: Peru	Potato and Good King Henry Frittata      Origin: Britain
Nyama na Irio (Meat with Corn)      Origin: Kenya	Pastelón de Papa (Dominican Cottage Pie)      Origin: Dominican Republic	Potato and Gourd Chakee      Origin: Anglo-Indian
Nyonya-style Curry with Eggs      Origin: Malaysia	Pašticada (Dalmatian Beef Stew with Prunes and Apples)      Origin: Croatia	Potato and Herb Terrine      Origin: Ireland
Oatmeal Potatoes      Origin: Scotland	Patate e Finocchida Lucca (Roast Potatoes with Fennel Seeds)      Origin: Britain	Potato and Mutton Soup      Origin: Scotland
Ocopa de Camarones (Prawn Ocopa)      Origin: Peru	Pav Bhaji (Spicy Vegetables with Bread)      Origin: India	Potato and Onion Flan      Origin: Ireland
Oeufs Colombo (Colombo Egg Curry)      Origin: French Guiana	Pea Soup and Meat      Origin: Guinea-Bissau	Potato and Parsley Galettes      Origin: Ireland
Oggi      Origin: Welsh	Perfect Mashed Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Potato and Plantain Hash      Origin: Liberia
Olive and Sun-dried Tomato Mash      Origin: Britain	Perfect Roast Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Potato and Salmon Parcels      Origin: Ireland
Onion-flavoured Potatoes      Origin: Ireland	Perfect Valentine Steaks with Root Vegetables      Origin: Britain
Orkney Clapshot      Origin: Scotland	Pice Tatws, Cocos a Bara Lawr (Potato, Cockle and Laverbread Patties)      Origin: Welsh

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