International Year of the Potato
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's a small sample of potato diversity.
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| 1. Atahualpa Bred in Peru, a high yielding variety good for both baking and frying | 2. Nicola Widely grown Dutch variety, one of the best for boiling, also good in salads | 3. Russet Burbank The classic American potato, excellent for baking and french fries |
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| 4. Lapin puikula Grown in Finland for centuries, in fields bathed in the light of the midnight sun | 5. Yukon Gold A Canadian potato with buttery yellow flesh suitable for frying, boiling, mashing | 6. Tubira CIP-bred variety grown in West Africa. White flesh, pink skin, and good yielding |
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| 7. Vitelotte A gourmet French variety prized for its deep blue skin and violet flesh | 8. Royal Jersey From the Isle of Jersey: the only UK vegetable with an EU designation-of-origin | 9. Kipfler Hails from Germany. Elongated with cream flesh, popular in salads |
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| 10. Papa colorada Brought to the Canary Islands by passing Spanish ships in 1567 | 11. Maris Bard Bred in the UK, a white variety with a soft waxy texture good for boiling | 12. Désirée Red-skinned, with yellow flesh and a distinctive flavour. |
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| 13. Spunta Another popular commercial tuber, good for boiling and roasting | 14. Mondial A Dutch potato with smooth good looks. Boils and mashes well | 15. Unknown From Chile, one of more than 5 000 native varieties still grown in the Andes |
