The humble potato. An edible tuber - the part that is eaten, rather than the plant itself - that grows underground and has been domesticated for over 7,000 years in the Americas, originating in southern Peru and north-western Bolivia in South America. Following the Spanish conquest of much of the Americas, they introduced the potato to Europe in the 16th century and it has since spread across the world. Either Sir Francis Drake or an employee of Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with introducing the potato into England. In the US, they are sometimes referred to as Irish or white potatoes to differentiate them from the sweet potato.
Potatoes have since become an important element in the global food supply, both for humans and for animals. They were so important in the 19th century in Ireland that when the crop was devastated by the potato blight disease, the loss of this staple crop contributed to the roughly one million deaths that occurred during the famine.
Potatoes can be cooked many different ways. Some examples are mashed, baked, roast, French-fried and scalloped, as well as being used in other dishes as an ingredient such as potato salad or the potato omelette. As a snack, they are used in the potato chip, or crisp. They even cook well in a microwave.
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