Today, the potato is America’s favorite vegetable, but the origin of potatoes began far away from the United States.

Where did potatoes originate?

The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around 8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C. Potato History:

The ancient civilizations of the Incas used the time it took to cook a potato as a measurement of time.

While they spread throughout the northern colonies in limited quantities,
potatoes did not become widely accepted until they received an aristocratic seal of approval from Thomas Jefferson,
who served them to guests at the White House.

Thereafter, the potato steadily gained in popularity,
this popularity being strengthened by a steady stream of Irish immigrants to the new nation.

History of the Potato in Europe

In 1536, Spanish Conquistadors in Peru discovered the flavors of the potato and transported them to Europe.

At first, the vegetable was not widely accepted.

Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589,
but it took nearly four decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe.

It wasn’t until Prussia’s King Fredrick planted potatoes during wartime hoping that peasants would start eating them.

Potatoes arrived in the colonies in the 1620s when the Governor of the Bahamas sent a gift box containing potatoes,
to the governor of the colony of Virginia.

Potato History in the United States

The potato origin story in the United States is like the history of the potato in Europe in that it was not immediately accepted.

While it spread throughout the northern colonies in limited quantities, an important part of potato history is,
when they received an aristocratic seal of approval from Thomas Jefferson, who served potatoes to guests at the White House.

Thereafter, the potato steadily gained in popularity, this popularity being strengthened by a steady stream of Irish immigrants to the new nation.

Source: Potatoes USA