The

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- dried potato product called chuño – was one of the main food items, used to feed officials, soldiers and corvée labourers, and as an P. WHITEHOUSE P. 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 cultures, and gave special and how to use them so that they would never lack food. 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 without idealsoilandgrowingconditions. plant,adaptable andwillproducewelleven up to150days). Europe,as innorthern that cantake of planting(intemperateclimates, such the year, tuberswithin90days andtoharvest allow farmers togrowpotatoesthroughout andhighsolarradiation mild temperatures climates. Insomesub-tropicalhighlands, coolest monthsoftheyearinhottropical in warmer regions, andgrownduringthe spring intemperatezonesandlatewinter in the18to20°Crange. are meandailytemperatures obtained where 30°C,and above whileoptimumyieldsare below10°C sharply inhibitedintemperatures limiting factoris toproduction:tubergrowth crop”, beingthemain withtemperature conditions. Itisessentiallya “cool weather under temperate, subtropicalandtropical than100countries, Potato isgrowninmore Cultivation The potato is a very accommodating and The potatoisavery For thatreason, potatoisplantedinearly Indonesia in central Java, Potato fields ad hoc farmers have devisedtheirown formal seedsupplysystem exists, developing countries where no In areas of costs.production 50 percent of for from 30to cultivation, accounting expensive inputto potato potatoSeed isusuallythemost seedpotato Selecting material. smallest asfuture planting sized onesat home, andkeep the potatoes forcash,eat themedium- tubers: theysellthelargest method for selecting seed method forselecting 40 tonnes of fresh tuberswithinfour40 tonnesoffresh months than Americacanyieldmore and North Europe in thetemperateclimatesofnorthern irrigation whennecessary, ofpotato ahectare cycleofpotatopests.development avoided,are the inorderto break same pathogensasthepotato(e.g. tomato) beans andalfalfa. Cropssusceptibletothe with other, dissimilar crops, suchasmaize, years, ormore rotations ofthree alternating to year. Instead, theygrowpotatoesin growing potatoesonthesamelandfromyear of pathogensinthesoil, farmers avoid anddiseases.of pests To thebuild-up prevent However, toanumber itisalsovulnerable With goodagriculturalpractices, including and pestdiseaseproblems. useandirrigation, of fertilizer cultivars,improved lowerrates of highqualityseedand 5 to25tonnes–owinglack – rangingfromaslittle muchlower yieldsare average countries,developing however, of planting. Inmost 19  THE POTATO

HARJONO DJOYOBISONO of thePotato2008 treasure lighton ahidden New 20  International Year BRITISH POTATO COUNCIL Stages incropdevelopmentStages .Patdse ue .Vgttv rwh3 ue ntain4.Tuber bulking 3.Tuber initiation 2.Vegetative growth 1. Plantedseedtuber Soil andlandpreparationSoil increase yieldsby30to50percent,increase compared Use ofgoodqualitycommercialseedcan well-sprouted andfrom30to40ginweight. crop. Tuber seedshouldbedisease-free, essentialforseed tubersare asuccessful 10 cm. Purityofthecultivarsandhealthy or piecesoftubersowntoadepth5 seed butfrom “seed potatoes” –smalltubers The potatocropisusuallygrownnotfrom Planting soft, well-drainedandwell-aerated. condition: asuitable before thesoilreaches harrowingandrolling,frequent needed are In mostcases, ploughings, three alongwith ofweedroots. harrowed untilcompletelyfree ground preparation. Thesoilneedstobe ideal.range of5.2–6.4isconsidered aeration, themostsuitable. are SoilwithapH organic matter, withgooddrainageand richin loamy andsandyloamsoilsthatare enlargement ofthetubers, preferred, are and loose soils, whichoffer to theleastresistance of soil, except salineandalkaline. Naturally The potatocanbegrownonalmostanytype Growing potatoes involves extensive Growing potatoesinvolves helps prevent the growth of weeds. thegrowth helps prevent thetubers,tuber mothfromreaching and suchasthe insectpests the soilloose, prevents plant. uprightand Ridgingkeepstheplants the rowsaroundmainstemofpotato ofmoundingthesoilfrombetween consists operations begin. Ridging(or up”) “earthing large, before ridging theymustberemoved advantage”.“competitive Iftheweedsare thecropa controlled inordertogive fourwhich takesabout weeks, weedsmustbe ofthepotatocanopy,During thedevelopment care Crop of thecrop( the inter-row spacingmustallowfor ridging depends onthesizeoftuberschosen, while must offsetthehighercost. to farmers’ ownseed, butexpectedprofits mainly grownonridges. conservation), whileirrigatedcropsare yields (thankstobettersoilwater areas, higher plantingonflatsoilgives per hectare. For rainfed productionindry sown tonnes ofseedpotatoesare After earthing up,After earthing weedsbetweenthe The plantingdensityofarowpotatoes see below ). Usually, two about 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: 3,5,11,

1. Atahualpa 2. Nicola 3. 4. Lapin puikula 5. Yukon Gold 15 GONTERRE Bred in Peru, a high Widely grown Dutch The classic American Grown in Finland for A Canadian potato with variety, one of the best potato, excellent for centuries, in fields buttery yellow flesh yielding variety good 7,8,10, JL 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 CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION  FOOD CANADIAN AGENCY

6. Tubira 7. 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 2,12,13,14, 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 CIP 1,6, NIVAP HOLLAND  HOLLAND NIVAP 1,6, CIP LAPIN KEITTIÖMESTARIT 4, ABSTRACT 4, LAPIN KEITTIÖMESTARIT WIKIMEDIA GOURMET 9,

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 off-season plantingmayoffer asolution. without theuseofcostlyrefrigeration, isdifficult from oneseasontothenext storageoftubers cropping seasonandwhere Europe,such asnorthern withonlyone ofvigoroussprouts.development Inregions, germination capacityandencourage under diffusedlightinordertomaintaintheir to 90percent). stored, Seedtubersare instead, humidity(85 environment withhighrelative 6 to8°Cdegrees, inadark, well-ventilated of The tubersshouldbekeptatatemperature alkaloid) andlossesinweightquality. associated withsolanine, apotentiallytoxic of chlorophyllbeneaththepeel, whichis aims atpreventing “greening” (thebuildup tubers forcroppingseason. thenext and toguaranteeanadequatesupplyofseed destined for consumptionorprocessing, fresh lossesofpotatoes post-harvest both toprevent deterioration –properstorageisessential, subjectto living tissue–andtherefore tubersare Since thenewlyharvested Storage storage diseases. other injury, for points whichprovideentry or toavoidbruising itisimportant harvesting, or blowthesoilfromtubers. During theplantandshake thatunearth harvesters spading fork, aploughorcommercial potato usinga of production, harvested potatoesare dugup.potatoes are Dependingonthescale For ware and processingpotatoes, storage

NICOLAS MARTELLA added-value, as foodisshiftingfromfreshpotatoesto to nameafew. potato saladandpotatoes dumplings, twice-bakedpotatoes,potatosoup, mashed potatoes,potatopancakes, in anastonishingrangeofrecipes: are baked,boiledorfriedandused or purchasedinmarkets, as food,inoneformoranother.Home-grown produced in2005wereconsumedbypeople of the320milliontonnespotatoes FAO estimatesthatjustovertwo-thirds dehydrated Food uses:fresh,“frozen”, potato crop. as seedtubersforgrowingthenextseason’s processed intostarchforindustry,andre-used ingredients, fedtocattle,pigsandchickens, into potatofoodproductsand are consumedfresh.Therestprocessed than 50percentofpotatoesgrownworldwide cooking athome.Infact,itislikelythatless of purposes,andnotonlyasavegetablefor Once harvested,potatoesareusedforavariety Uses ofpotato However, theglobalconsumptionofpotato processed foodproducts fresh potatoes au gratin , .

ALESSANDRA BENEDETTI/FAO in La Plata, Argentina Argentina in LaPlata, Potatoes awaiting sale 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 parboiled, air dried, par fried, frozen and convert their starch to fermentable sugars that

UMAMI 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 variety of flavours – from simple salted to as an adhesive, binder, M. ALVES M. “gourmet” varieties tasting of roast beef and texture agent and filler, and 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 FROGGENHALL C. substitute for polystyrene to a moisture level of 5 to 8 percent. Flakes are and other plastics and used, for example, in 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 JIANGSU CORP. JIANGSU 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. 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

JIANGSU CORP. JIANGSU 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 D. MARIJNE tonnes of certified seedayear.tonnes ofcertified some700000 and theNetherlandsexports isusedtoproduceseedpotatoes, growing area than13percentofFrance’sMore potato free seed”“certified fromdedicatedsuppliers. likelytopurchasedisease- farmers more are own seedtubers. countries, Indeveloped their countriesselectandstore developing plantingseason.next Mostfarmers in tubers–issetasidefor inthe re-use harvested 15 percent, dependingonthequalityof Unlike othermajorfieldcrops, potatoesare potatoes:Seed renewing thecycle... fermentation. added tosilage, thetuberscookinheatof of 6kgboiledpotatoes. Choppedupand a day, whilepigsfatten quicklyonadailydiet – rangingfrom5to each year’s crop Therefore, of apart other potatoes. vegetatively, from reproduced

OSCAR MARÍN REPOLLER varieties of of tubersismorelimitedelsewhere,modern three orfourdifferenttypes.Whilethechoice diversity: inPeru,apotatosaladmayinclude smoked haddockinwintersoupsFinland. beans inEthiopia,andsimmeredwith with liverinBelarus,stir-friedgreen Costa Rica,bakedwithriceinIran,stuffed and inpastaItaly,stewedwithbananas globe. PotatoesareusedincurriesIndia into thecuisinesofcountriesaround popular vegetable,andhavebeenwelcomed the kitchen.Potatoesareworld’smost nutritional valuebutitsamazingversatilityin world’s No.4foodcropisnotonlyits What hasmadethe“humbletuber” in thekitchen Potatoes outside andfluffyinside–aretheperfect meal. Roastpotatoes–crispandgolden simple snackorwithafillingascomplete potatoes aregreatwhenbaked,servedasa that highlightsotheringredients.Other a creamydensity,providingdelicatetaste hundreds ofdifferentdishes.Somegivesoups range ofcookingcharacteristicssuitablefor The secretofthepotato’ssuccessisitsgreat Solanum tuberosum offer awide Islands of theCanary Traditional dish 25  THE POTATO 26 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 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 and a dry texture (due to lower salads (in France, waxy

levels of moisture). Boiled, they PUGHK. varieties are preferred for.JULIAN J tend to fall apart. But they are making thick mashed potato). Use fingerling unbeatable for baking, making and round reds, or “new” (immature, of any

S. GILBERT S. French fries, and yielding light, variety) potatoes. fluffy mashed potato. Common high-starch varieties are Russets, , King Edward and .

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. 27 THE POTATO 28 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 29 THE POTATO 30 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 31 THE POTATO 32 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 33 THE POTATO 34 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 35 THE POTATO 36 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 37 THE POTATO 38 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 39 THE POTATO 40 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 41 THE POTATO 42 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 43 THE POTATO 44 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure 45 THE POTATO 46 International Year of the Potato 2008 New light on a hidden treasure