The potato is the world’s fourth-most important crop after rice, wheat and maize, and the first among non-grains. Idaho farmers in the US and gnocchi-loving Italians will claim the potato as much as any Peruvian, because its story is not only that of a country or of a region, but an account of how humans have reconfigured their relationship with land and food within a few generations. Earle calls it the “world's most successful immigrant”, as its origin has become unrecognisable for producers and consumers everywhere.
“It’s grown practically everywhere in the world, and practically everywhere, people consider it one of ‘our foods’.”įor the rest of the world beyond the Andes, the potato might not be autochthonous, but it feels local. “Despite its origins in the Andes, it’s an incredibly successful global food,” said food historian Rebecca Earle, who’s tracing the potato’s planetary journey in a forthcoming book called Feeding the People: The Politics of the Potato.