Where do potatoes originally come from?


Quick Answer

Potatoes originally come from South America, particularly Bolivia and Peru. The native people grew potatoes in the high plateaus and the Andes Mountains because it was too cold to grow wheat or corn there. There is evidence of the potato being eaten as early as between 8000 and 5000 B.C.

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Full Answer

The Incas made a flour from the potatoes they called chuño, which did not spoil. They baked bread with this flour.

Spanish explorers brought the potato back to their home country around 1565. From there, it spread to the rest of Europe. White potatoes were cultivated in the United States by 1838.

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