Monalisa
Balance and all-round usefulness.
Potato
"The humble tuber that feeds half the world."
VersatileComfortingGlobal Cuisine
Usage Tips
Not all potatoes are good for the same thing. More floury varieties work better in purées, soups or roasting, while firmer ones hold up better in boiling, salads and stews.
If you are going to fry them, dry the surface well after cutting. A well-dried potato enters the oil better and helps achieve a cleaner, more golden crust.
Very intense cold can alter their profile. The ideal is to store them in a cool, dry and dark place, but not in extreme conditions that damage their texture or flavour.
"Few things look so simple and solve so much."
Curiosities
The potato is not a root, but a tuber: a storage structure where the plant keeps energy.
Its texture changes enormously depending on variety, starch content and cooking method: it can remain firm and compact or open up soft and floury.
Despite its reputation as a simple, basic food, it is one of the most transformable ingredients in global cooking.
Value per 100g
Value per 100g
Everyday energy
77kcal
17g
2g
0g
Carbohydrates17g
Proteins2g
Fats0g
Fiber2g
Glycemic Index
65
Far more than filler
It provides carbohydrates, some fiber and a strong satiating effect. Well cooked and well paired, the potato is one of the most useful and honest pillars of everyday cooking.
Firmness, starch and texture
Types of Potato
Very popular for its versatility, it offers a very useful balance between firmness and creaminess. It works well for frying, boiling, roasting or using in stews, which makes it a very dependable variety for everyday cooking.
Kennebec
Floury, soft and excellent for frying.
Highly appreciated for frying because of the way it behaves in texture and browning, it also performs very well in roasts and purées. Its flesh is pleasant and it has a notable ability to give a tender interior with a well-developed exterior.
New Potato
Thin-skinned, moist and delicate.
Harvested before full maturity, it usually has a finer skin, more moisture and a texture that is especially pleasant for gentle cooking. It works very well in warm salads, boiled whole with the skin on and dishes where a more delicate potato is preferred.
Planting, tuber formation and harvest
A Lot of Work Underground
The potato develops from a plant that grows above ground while, below the surface, it begins to form the tubers we later eat. That underground swelling process depends on soil, temperature, water and crop management.
As the cycle advances, the plant directs energy toward the tubers, which gradually gain size, starch and structure. The moment of harvest has a major influence on the skin, storage life and the way the potato will later behave in the kitchen.
From traditional vegetable plots to large-scale production, the potato shows like few other ingredients the relationship between agriculture, yield and everyday cooking. It may look humble, but it requires considerable precision to travel well from field to pantry.
Tuber Formation
Underground Bulking
Harvest and Storage
Discover its history
From the Andes to the Universal Plate
A journey through time discovering the roots and evolution of this ingredient.
1
Born at Altitude
The potato originated in the Andean region of South America, where it was domesticated thousands of years ago by cultures that learned to cultivate a resilient, nourishing food capable of surviving in harsh conditions. Long before reaching Europe, it was already an essential pillar of everyday life in high-altitude territories.
2
Europe Looked at It with Doubt
When it crossed the Atlantic in the 16th century, the potato was not immediately welcomed as a great food. For quite some time, it was treated with suspicion, used as a botanical curiosity or secondary crop, and it took time before it earned a true place in everyday European cooking.
3
From Resource to Foundation
Over time, its ability to produce a large amount of food in little space and its enormous culinary versatility turned it into a central part of the diet of millions of people. Boiled, roasted, fried, stewed or turned into purée, it went from being an American novelty to becoming a foundation of popular cooking.
4
The Queen of Comfort
Today the potato is one of the most universal ingredients on the planet. It appears in omelettes, curries, side dishes, soups, breads, gnocchi, purées, sautés, gratins and fries. Few products can change texture so dramatically and adapt to so many cuisines without losing their identity.
The potato originated in the Andean region of South America, where it was domesticated thousands of years ago by cultures that learned to cultivate a resilient, nourishing food capable of surviving in harsh conditions. Long before reaching Europe, it was already an essential pillar of everyday life in high-altitude territories.
When it crossed the Atlantic in the 16th century, the potato was not immediately welcomed as a great food. For quite some time, it was treated with suspicion, used as a botanical curiosity or secondary crop, and it took time before it earned a true place in everyday European cooking.
Over time, its ability to produce a large amount of food in little space and its enormous culinary versatility turned it into a central part of the diet of millions of people. Boiled, roasted, fried, stewed or turned into purée, it went from being an American novelty to becoming a foundation of popular cooking.
Today the potato is one of the most universal ingredients on the planet. It appears in omelettes, curries, side dishes, soups, breads, gnocchi, purées, sautés, gratins and fries. Few products can change texture so dramatically and adapt to so many cuisines without losing their identity.
