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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Dominica Red Beans Soup      Origin: Dominica	Fläskfilé med sås och ugnsstekta grönsaker (Pork Fillet with Sauce and Roast Vegetables)      Origin: Sweden	Good King Henry Aloo      Origin: Fusion
Dopiazeh      Origin: Iran	Flødekartofler (Scalloped Potatoes)      Origin: Denmark	Goulash      Origin: Hungary
Draenog y Môr o'r Badell gyda Tatws Newydd wedi Malu a Saets (Pan-fried Sea Bass with Garlic and Sage Smashed New Potatoes)      Origin: Welsh	Fluffy Mashed Alexanders Root      Origin: British	Gratin Dauphinoise      Origin: France
Draniki      Origin: Belarus	Fluffy Mashed Swedes      Origin: Britain	Gratin de fruits de mer (Seafood Gratin)      Origin: Monaco
Dublin Coddle      Origin: Ireland	Focaccia Barese      Origin: Italy	Gratin de Morue (Salt Cod Gratin)      Origin: Mauritius
Dublin Coddle      Origin: Ireland	Fonio Bread      Origin: Fusion	Gratin Tatws a Bara Lawr (Potato and Laverbread Gratin)      Origin: Welsh
Duck Curry with Aubergine and Bamboo      Origin: Vietnam	Forshmak (Georgian Minced Meat Soufflé)      Origin: Georgia	Graubünden (Barley Soup)      Origin: Switzerland
Dulse Potato Cakes      Origin: Ireland	Fricase de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Fricassee)      Origin: Cuba	Green Bean Bredie      Origin: South Africa
Durban Bunny Chow      Origin: South Africa	Fried Camel      Origin: UAE	Grenadian Chicken Curry      Origin: Grenada
Durban Cornish Hen Curry      Origin: South Africa	Fried Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic      Origin: Ireland	Grilled Potato Slices      Origin: Ireland
Durban-style Mutton Curry with Potatoes and Dumplings      Origin: South Africa	Frikadelu Zupa (Meatball Soup)      Origin: Latvia	Gromperekichelder (Potato Fritters)      Origin: Luxembourg
East African Prawn Curry      Origin: East Africa	Frites Belges (Belgian Fries)      Origin: Belgium	Gromperekniddelen (Luxembourger Potato Dumplings)      Origin: Luxembourg
East African Shrimp Curry      Origin: East Africa	Fulkopir Baati Jhaal (Potato and Cauliflower Stew)      Origin: Bangladesh	Gromperenzopp (Potato Soup)      Origin: Luxembourg
East African Vegetable Soup      Origin: East Africa	Güschgle-Knöpfle (Güshgle-style Button Noodles)      Origin: Liechtenstein	Guam Chicken Curry      Origin: Guam
Egg Masala      Origin: India	Gali Ji Huifan (Cantonese Chicken Curry on Rice)      Origin: China	Guatita (Ecuadorian Tripe Stew)      Origin: Ecuador
El Cocido      Origin: Spain	Galinha à Portuguesa (Macanese Portuguese Chicken)      Origin: Macau	Guisado del Inca (Inca Stew)      Origin: Peru
English Cottage Pie      Origin: England	Game Chips      Origin: Scotland	Guisado Perviuano de la Calabaza (Peruvian Pumpkin Stew)      Origin: Peru
Eog wedi ei Bobi gyda Thatws a Teim (Salmon Baked with Potatoes and Thyme)      Origin: Welsh	Garbansos con salchichas (Chickpeas with Sausages)      Origin: Colombia	Gujarati-style Chicken Curry      Origin: India
Escudella i Carn D'olla      Origin: Andorra	Garden Vegetable Soup      Origin: British	Gundruk (Nepali Fermented Leafy Greens)      Origin: Nepal
Estofado (Chilean Beef Stew)      Origin: Chile	Gardener's Chicken      Origin: Ireland	Gunpowder Potato Puffs      Origin: Fusion
Fah-Fah (Soupe Djiboutienne)      Origin: Djibouti	Garlic and Olive Oil Mash      Origin: Ireland	Guyanese Chicken Curry      Origin: Guyana
Fat Hen and Potato Gratin      Origin: British	Garlic Potatoes      Origin: Ireland	Gwledd y Cybydd (The Miser's Feast)      Origin: Welsh
Fava Pure e Cicorielle (Mashed Broad Beans with Potatoes and Chicory)      Origin: Italy	Gebraaide Hoender (Spiced Roast Chicken)      Origin: South Africa	Haddock Supper      Origin: Ireland
Fettat Adis      Origin: Sudan	Gentse Waterzooi      Origin: Belgium	Haenau Cig Oen gyda Pannas a Chennin (Slices of Lamb with Parsnips and Leeks)      Origin: Welsh
Fig, Walnut and Orange Cake      Origin: Ireland	Georgian Potato Soup      Origin: Georgia	Haggis and Pork Sausages with Mash and Red Wine Onion Gravy      Origin: Scotland
Fijian Chicken and Potato Curry      Origin: Fiji	Gerudderten (Boiled Potatoes with Bacon and Sour Milk)      Origin: Luxembourg	Haggis Kheema with Tattie Rotis      Origin: Fusion
Filipino Chicken Curry      Origin: Philippines	Gesmoorde Vis (Salt Cod and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce)      Origin: South Africa	Haiken (Chicken and Prawn Egg Rolls)      Origin: Mauritius
Filipino Chicken Curry 2      Origin: Philippines	Gheema      Origin: British	Halawa Yaqtin (Pumpkin Halwa)      Origin: Middle East
Fish and Fennel Sauté      Origin: Britain	Gheema Curry      Origin: South Africa	Ham and Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes      Origin: Ireland
Fish Breyani      Origin: South Africa	Githeri      Origin: Kenya	Hareless Potpies      Origin: British
Fish Pie with Dulse      Origin: Scotland	Gnocchi al Vaticano      Origin: Vatican City	Harvest Soup      Origin: American
Fish Puffs      Origin: Britain	Gnocchi Basilico con Salsa al Pomodoro e Rucola (Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Wild Rocket)      Origin: Italy	Hash Browns      Origin: American
Fish Stew      Origin: Guinea-Bissau	Goat Curry with Potatoes      Origin: Pakistan
Fiskibollur (Icelandic Fish Balls with Curry Sauce)      Origin: Iceland	Good Friday Fish Pie      Origin: Britain

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