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 1162 recipes in total:

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Ræst fisk med mos (Fermented Fish with Mash)      Origin: Greenland	Savoury Potato Roulade      Origin: Ireland	Silpancho      Origin: Bolivia
Rødgrød med Fløde (Danish Red Berry Pudding)      Origin: Denmark	Savoury Potato Waffles      Origin: Britain	Sing Mapan Singju (Ginger Flower and Water Dropwort Singju)      Origin: India
Súkkulaði-slöngukaka (Chocolate 'Snake Cake')      Origin: Iceland	Saws Bara Lawr (Laverbread Sauce)      Origin: Welsh	Siwin wedi'i serio gyda Stwns Bara Lawr, Samffir, Sbigoglys a Phys (Seared Sea Trout with Laver Mash, Samphire, Spinach and Peas)      Origin: Welsh
Saag Aloo (Stir-fried Potatoes with Spinach)      Origin: India	Scallop and Mushroom Pie      Origin: Ireland	Sklandrausis (Vegetable Tarts)      Origin: Latvia
Saag Aloo (Stir-fried Potatoes with Rapeseed Greens)      Origin: India	Scallop Broth with Cornish Earlies      Origin: England	Sladký Lokše (Sweet Slovak Potato Pancakes)      Origin: Slovakia
Saak-er Ghanto      Origin: Bangladesh	Scallop Pie      Origin: Northern Ireland	Slow Cooker Aloo Gobi      Origin: Britain
Sabz Jaipuri (Vegetable Jaipuri Curry)      Origin: India	Schweinefleisch mit Wurzelgemüse und Äpfeln (Pork with Root Vegetables and Apples)      Origin: Germany	Slow Cooker Duck and Potato Massaman Curry      Origin: Britain
Saint Lucia Chicken Curry      Origin: Saint Lucia	Scotch Broth      Origin: Scotland	Smočani kačamak (Fatty porridge)      Origin: Montenegro
Saint Martin Poulet de Colombo      Origin: Sint Maarten	Scotch Broth with Pepper Dulse      Origin: Scotland	Smoked Fish Fisherman's Pie      Origin: England
Saint Martin Poulet de Colombo      Origin: Saint-Martin	Scotch Hot Pot      Origin: Scotland	Smoked Haddock and Champ Cakes      Origin: Northern Ireland
Sajta de Pollo      Origin: Bolivia	Scots Colcannon      Origin: Scotland	Smoked Haddock Chowder      Origin: Ireland
Salad Olivye (Russian Olivier Salad)      Origin: Russia	Scottish Bacon and Potato Pie      Origin: Scotland	Smoked haddock with Potato Mash      Origin: Ireland
Salada de Logosta à Moda de Cabo Verde (Cape Verdean Lobster Salad)      Origin: Cape Verde	Scottish Green Pea Soup      Origin: Scotland	Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Potato Farls      Origin: Scotland
Salada di Batata (Potato Salad)      Origin: Aruba	Scottish Leek and Potato Soup      Origin: Scotland	Smoored Fish with Tomatoes      Origin: South Africa
Salata od hobotnice na Prigorski (Prigorski-style octopus salad)      Origin: Croatia	Scottish Potato Scones      Origin: Scotland	Smoorsnoek with Cabbage      Origin: South Africa
Salmagundi      Origin: Britain	Sea Aster Aloo      Origin: Fusion	Snyboontjies Bredie (Green Bean Bredie)      Origin: South Africa
Salmagundi with Herby Rack of Lamb      Origin: Britain	Sea Purslane, Potatoes and Peas      Origin: Britain	Sonoran Picadillo      Origin: Mexico
Salmon and Dulse Fishcakes      Origin: Scotland	Seam, Potato and Peas Chakee      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Sopa de Arroz (Rice Soup)      Origin: Peru
Salmon Kalia in Panch Phoron Sauce      Origin: India	Seam, Potato, and Peas Chahkee      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Sopa de Boldroegas (Portuguese Common Purslane Soup)      Origin: Portugal
Salone-style Scotch Eggs      Origin: Sierra Leone	Seaweed Ribollita      Origin: Fusion	Sopa de Feijao Verde (String Bean Soup)      Origin: Mozambique
Salt Cod and Potatoes      Origin: Bermuda	Sehriyeli Sebze Çorbası (Vegetable Soup with Vermicelli)      Origin: Turkey	Sopi di Pampuna (Pumpkin Soup)      Origin: Aruba
Salt Cod Fish Cakes      Origin: Bahamas	Senegalese Vegetable Stew with Millet      Origin: Senegal	Sopi di Piská (Fish Soup)      Origin: Aruba
Šaltibarščiai (Cold Beetroot Soup)      Origin: Lithuania	Sernik Krakowski (Polish Lattice Cheesecake)      Origin: Poland	Sopi di Piská (Fish Soup)      Origin: Bonaire
Samp      Origin: eSwatini	Sglodion Ffwrn Sbeislydr (Spicy Oven Chips)      Origin: Welsh	Sopi di Piská (Fish Soup)      Origin: Curacao
Sardines à la bretonne (Breton-style sardines)      Origin: France	Sgoniau Tatws (Potato Scones)      Origin: Welsh	Soubise Sauce      Origin: Britain
Sarma (Meat-stuffed Cabbage Leaves)      Origin: Kosovo	Shchi (Russian Cabbage Soup)      Origin: Russia	Soufflé Potatoes with Carrot and Asparagus      Origin: Ireland
Sarson Aloo      Origin: Fusion	Shepherd's Pie      Origin: Britain	Soup Joumou (Haitian Squash Soup)      Origin: Haiti
Saté ku batata (Satay with Potatoes)      Origin: Bonaire	Shrimp and Corn Chowder      Origin: American	Soupe au Pistou Monegasque (Monegasque Soup with Pistou)      Origin: Monaco
Sauce Rouille (Rouille Sauce)      Origin: France	Shtitha Batata (Potato Stew)      Origin: Algeria	Soupe aux pois et la viande (Pea Soup and Meat)      Origin: Guinea-Bissau
Sauci Yohss (Gambian Mussel Meats in Tomato Sauce with Potatoes)      Origin: Gambia	Shuba (Herring and Beet Salad)      Origin: Moldova	Soupe de mouton (Mutton soup)      Origin: Saint-Martin
Sausage Roly-poly      Origin: England	Shukto      Origin: Bangladesh	Soupe Djiboutienne (Djibouti Soup)      Origin: Djibouti
Sauté de cerf a la calédonienne (New Caledonian-Style Venison Sauté)      Origin: New Caledonia	Shurpa      Origin: Uzbekistan	Soupou Konkoé (Smoked Fish Soup)      Origin: Guinea
Savoiardi Biscuits      Origin: Italy	Siberian Borscht      Origin: Siberia
Savoury Kale Colcannon      Origin: Ireland	Sill Potatis (Pickled Herring with Boiled Potatoes and Sour Cream)      Origin: Sweden

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