Potato

The potato (Fr. pomme de terre, meaning “earth apple”) is a staple ingredient so international that it is impossible to catalog all its forms. Although the potato tuber is hardy in almost any climate, it has a checkered history. Imported from the New World in the late sixteenth century, it took 200 years to achieve widespread acceptance in Europe. Even today, of the dozens of varieties of potato that exist, only a few are widely cultivated outside South America, and even fewer are marketed. It is up to the home gardener to grow better varieties with good flavor. However, these are too low in yield to be of commercial value.