Description

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a herbaceous plant of the solanaceae family with white or violet flowers and underground stems with round, oval or elongated tubers. The plant is grown for these tubers that are edible, rich in starch, which is why they are used in food, but also as feed.

The potatoes are from South America, from the Andes Mountains region. In the Pre-Columbian period, about 200 potato species were grown in the areas today in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. After rice, wheat and corn, potatoes are the fourth source of food energy.

Potatoes are grown in over 120 countries and are consumed by over a billion people a day. [1] In 2007, the total potato harvest was 300 million tonnes.

Many studies have suggested that high consumption of plant foods, such as potatoes, reduces the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and general mortality.