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 1027 recipes in total:

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Kuku Paka (Chicken-coconut Curry)      Origin: East Africa	Madras-style Leftovers Curry      Origin: India	Microwave Red Wine Scallops      Origin: Britain
Kuurdak (Stewed Meat, Onions and Potatoes)      Origin: Kyrgyzstan	Maharggwe (Vegetables and Beans)      Origin: Burundi	Microwave Smoked Haddock Chowder      Origin: Britain
Laal Chicken Curry      Origin: Britain	Mainese (Cook Island Pink Potato Salad)      Origin: Cook Islands	Microwave Three Fish Soup      Origin: Britain
Lakka Keitto (Cloudberry Soup)      Origin: Finland	Mála spíosrach (Irish Spice Bag)      Origin: Scotland	Mince and Tatties      Origin: Scotland
Lale Mamoe (Samoan Lamb Curry)      Origin: Samoa	Mala Xiang Guo (Spicy Numbing Stir-fry Pot)      Origin: China	Mince Curry with Peas      Origin: South Africa
Lamb Dhan Saag      Origin: India	Malai Kofta with Spicy Gravy      Origin: India	Mini Curried Shepherd's Pie      Origin: South Africa
Lamb Stifado      Origin: Cyprus	Malaysian Chicken Curry      Origin: Malaysia	Moist Chocolate Sponge Cake      Origin: Ireland
Lamb with New Potatoes and Coriander      Origin: Ireland	Malaysian Murtabak (Mamak Omelette Pancake)      Origin: Malaysia	Mollag (Manx Christmas Haggis)      Origin: Manx
Lancashire Meat and Potato Pie      Origin: England	Mangsher Brown Stew (Mutton Brown Stew)      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Monkfish with Potatoes, Artichokes and Prosciutto      Origin: Britain
Langoustines au Breton Kari (Langoustines with Breton Kari Spices)      Origin: France	Manhattan Seafood Stew      Origin: American	Montserratian Corn Soup      Origin: Montserrat
Lapskaus      Origin: Norway	Manos de Cerdo a la Peruana (Peruvian-style Pig's Trotters)      Origin: Peru	Moongre ki Subzi (Radish Pod and Potato Sauté)      Origin: India
Latvian Sauerkraut Soup      Origin: Latvia	Manx Broth for a Wedding      Origin: Manx	Moroccan Lamb Couscous      Origin: Morocco
Latvian Sorrel Soup      Origin: Latvia	Manx Kipper and Black Pudding Cakes      Origin: Manx	Morogo      Origin: South Africa
Leeky Larrup      Origin: England	Manx Mutton Hot-pot      Origin: Manx	Morue à la portugaise (Cod with Tomato Sauce)      Origin: France
Leftover Mash and Tinned Fish Fishcakes      Origin: Britain	Manx Pasties      Origin: Manx	Moules a la Bretonne (Brittany-style Mussels)      Origin: France
Leftovers Jalfrezi with Gravy      Origin: India	Marake Kaloune (Fish in Sauce)      Origin: Djibouti	Moules-frites (Mussels and Chips)      Origin: France
Leftovers Turkey Cakes      Origin: British	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somalia	Moussaka      Origin: Greece
Leksour (Mauritanian-style Pancakes with Sauce)      Origin: Mauritania	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somaliland	Mozambican Caldo Verde      Origin: Mozambique
Leksour (Lamb Stew on Millet Pancakes)      Origin: Mauritania	Maraq Hilib Ari (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Somalia	Mozzarella Fritters      Origin: Ireland
Lemóni pshtó patátes (Greek Lemony Roasted Potatoes)      Origin: Greece	Masala French Fries      Origin: India	Mrefisa      Origin: Western Sahara
Liewerkniddelen (Liver Dumplings)      Origin: Luxembourg	Masale Baath (Maharashtrian Spicy Vegetable Rice)      Origin: India	Mugir Kosha (Chicken Kosha)      Origin: India
Linden Leaf Flour Noodles      Origin: Fusion	Mashed Potatoes and Gravy      Origin: America	Mukimo (Potato and Pumpkin Mash)      Origin: Kenya
Llysiau Pob (Roast Vegetables)      Origin: Welsh	Masor Tenga (Assamese Red Fish Curry)      Origin: India	Mullet Soup      Origin: Cornwall
Lobscows (Lobscouse)      Origin: Welsh	Massaman Beef Curry      Origin: Thailand	Mulligatawny Soup      Origin: Anglo-Indian
Lobscows #2 (Lobscouse)      Origin: Welsh	Massaman Mutton Curry      Origin: Thailand	Mumbai Pav Bhaji      Origin: India
Locro de Zapallo      Origin: Peru	Matchstick Potatoes      Origin: Britain	Murphy’s Guts      Origin: Ireland
Lohikeitto (Finnish Salmon Soup)      Origin: Finland	Mauritian Colombo Chicken Curry      Origin: Mauritius	Mussel Pie      Origin: Bermuda
Lokše (Slovak Potato Pancakes)      Origin: Slovakia	Mchuzi wa Biringani (Garden Egg Curry)      Origin: Tanzania	Mustard Beef with Potato Gratin      Origin: Australia
Maacher Chop (Indian Fish Croquettes)      Origin: India	Mchuzi wa Biringani (Aubergine Curry)      Origin: Tanzania	Mutton and Potato Pies      Origin: Britain
Maacouda bil Batata (Potato Omelette)      Origin: Tunisia	Meat and Potato Pasty      Origin: England	Mutton Cutlets with Mashed Potatoes      Origin: Britain
Macanese Minchi (Minced Meat Potato Hash)      Origin: Macau	Micronesian Coconut Chicken Curry      Origin: Federated States Micronesia	Mutton Kulambu (Pondicherry Mutton Curry)      Origin: India
Macanese-style Portuguese Curry Chicken      Origin: Macau	Microwave Chicken Thai Green Curry      Origin: Britain	Nactamales      Origin: Nicaragua
Macau-style Portuguese Curry Chickeno (Macau-style Portuguese Curry Chicken)      Origin: Portugal	Microwave Corn Chowder      Origin: American
Mackerel and Samphire Stew      Origin: Britain	Microwave Rabbit Stew with Dumplings      Origin: Britain

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