A potato is a round or oval starchy root vegetable that grows underground and is eaten boiled, baked, fried, or mashed. It is a major food crop in many parts of the world.
“Potato” comes from Spanish *patata*, which blended *batata* (sweet potato in Taíno) and *papa* (potato in Quechua). The plant itself was first domesticated in the Andes of South America.
Potatoes helped fuel population booms in Europe because they pack a lot of calories and grow in poor soil. They’re a quiet example of how a single plant from one region can reshape diets and history across the planet.
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