0_Wizard
The potato while delicious is also the worlds fourth largest food crop! 
It is the world's fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, and rice.
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Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. "Potato" may be applied to both the plant and the edible tuber. Potato has become a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. It is the world's fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, and rice. The green leaves and green skins of tubers exposed to the light are toxic. In the Andes, where the species is indigenous, some other closely related species are cultivated. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish.
Sweet potato
The sweet potato ("Ipomoea batatas") is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are a root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato ("Solanum tuberosum") and does not belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, but both families belong to the same taxonomic order, the Solanales. The plant is a herbaceous perennial vine, bearing alternate heart-shaped or palmately lobed leaves and medium-sized sympetalous flowers.
Food security
Food security is a condition related to the supply of food, and individuals' access to it. There is evidence of granaries being in use over 10,000 years ago, with central authorities in civilizations including ancient China and ancient Egypt being known to release food from storage in times of famine. At the 1974 World Food Conference the term "food security" was defined with an emphasis on supply. Food security, they said, is the "availability at all times of adequate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices".
Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms, the root vegetables most commonly known as taro. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Linnaeus originally described two species which are now known as "Colocasia esculenta" and "Colocasia antiquorum" of the cultivated plants that are known by many names including eddoes, dasheen, taro and madumbi, but many later botanists consider them all to be members of a single, very variable species, the correct name for which is "Colocasia esculenta". Taro () commonly refers to the plant "Colocasia esculenta", the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the Araceae family which are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles.
History of the potato
The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries. Cultivation of potatoes in South America may go back 10,000 years, yet the tubers do not preserve well in archaeological record, and there are problems with exact identification of those that are found. The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancón (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. Potatoes dating to about 2000 BC have been found at Huaynuma, in the Casma Valley of Peru, and early potatoes dating to 800-500 BC were also uncovered at the Altiplano site of Chiripa on the east side of Lake Titicaca.
Phytophthora infestans
Phytophthora infestans is an oomycete or water mold, a microorganism which causes the serious potato and tomato disease known as late blight or potato blight. (Early blight, caused by "Alternaria solani", is also often called "potato blight".) Late blight was a major culprit in the 1840s European, the 1845 Irish, and the 1846 Highland potato famines. The organism can also infect some other members of the Solanaceae. The pathogen is favored by moist, cool environments: sporulation is optimal at 12–18°C in water-saturated or nearly saturated environments, and zoospore production is favored at temperatures below 15° C. Lesion growth rates are typically optimal at a slightly warmer temperature range of 20 to 24° C.  The genus name "Phytophthora" comes from the Greek φυτό-(phyto), meaning : "plant" - plus the Greek φθορά (phthora), meaning : "decay, ruin, perish".
Genetically modified crops
Genetically modified crops (GMCs, GM crops, or biotech crops) are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering methods. In most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species. Examples in food crops include resistance to certain pests, diseases, or environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage, or resistance to chemical treatments (e.g. resistance to a herbicide), or improving the nutrient profile of the crop. Examples in non-food crops include production of pharmaceutical agents, biofuels, and other industrially useful goods, as well as for bioremediation.
1_Apprentice
I love potatoes and they really help stretch the food budget, so filling yet inexpensive
0_Wizard
Yes that is one of the reasons they are so popular. They were introduced to Europe in the late 16th century by the Spanish. They have never gone out of style since
Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish.
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Culture of the United Kingdom
The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by the UK's history as a developed island country, a liberal democracy and a major power; its predominantly Christian religious life; and its composition of four countries—England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland—each of which has distinct customs, cultures and symbolism. The wider culture of Europe has also influenced British culture, and Humanism, Protestantism and representative democracy developed from broader Western culture. British literature, music, cinema, art, theatre, comedy, media, television, philosophy, architecture and education are important aspects of British culture.
List of Dutch inventions and discoveries
The Netherlands had a considerable part in the making of modern society. The Netherlands and its people have made numerous seminal contributions to the world's civilization, especially in art, science, technology and engineering, economics and finance, cartography and geography, exploration and navigation, law and jurisprudence, thought and philosophy, medicine, and agriculture. Dutch-speaking people, in spite of their relatively small number, have a significant history of invention, innovation, discovery and exploration. The following list is composed of objects, (largely) unknown lands, breakthrough ideas/concepts, principles, phenomena, processes, methods, techniques, styles etc., that were discovered or invented (or pioneered) by people from the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking people from the former Southern Netherlands ("Zuid-Nederlanders" in Dutch).
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire () was one of the largest empires in history. At the time, it was not known as that by the Spanish, but rather the Spanish Monarchy ("Monarquía española") with the monarch ruling kingdoms in Spain, his possessions in Italy and northern Europe, and in the "Spanish Indies," its New World territories. From the late fifteenth century to the early nineteenth, Spain's kingdom of Castile controlled a huge overseas territory in the New World. The crown's main source of wealth was from gold and silver mined in Mexico and Peru. The empire reached the peak of its military, political and economic power under the Spanish Habsburgs, through most of the 16th and 17th centuries, and its greatest territorial extent under the House of Bourbon in the 18th century.
Galley
Galleys were the warships used by the early Mediterranean naval powers, including the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans. They remained the dominant types of vessels used for war and piracy in the Mediterranean Sea until the last decades of the 16th century. As warships, galleys carried various types of weapons throughout their long existence, including rams, catapults and cannons, but also relied on their large crews to overpower enemy vessels in boarding actions. They were the first ships to effectively use heavy cannons as anti-ship weapons. As highly efficient gun platforms they forced changes in the design of medieval seaside fortresses as well as refinement of sailing warships.
Madrigal
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six. It is quite distinct from the Italian Trecento madrigal of the late 13th and 14th centuries, with which it shares only the name. Madrigals originated in Italy during the 1520s. Unlike many strophic forms of the time, most madrigals were through-composed. In the madrigal, the composer attempted to express the emotion contained in each line, and sometimes individual words, of a celebrated poem.
Music of Cuba
The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban music is often considered one of the richest and most influential regional musics of the world. For instance, the son cubano merges an adapted Spanish guitar (tres), melody, harmony, and lyrical traditions with Afro-Cuban percussion and rhythms. Almost nothing remains of the original native traditions, since the native population was exterminated in the 16th century.
Aristocracy of Norway
Aristocracy of Norway refers to modern and medieval aristocracy in Norway. Additionally, there have been economical, political, and military élites that—relating to the main lines of Norway's history—are generally accepted as nominal predecessors of the aforementioned. Since the 16th century, modern aristocracy is known as nobility (). The very first aristocracy in today's Norway appeared during the Bronze Age (c. 1800 BCc. 500 BC). This bronze aristocracy consisted of several regional élites, whose earliest known existence dates to c. 1500 BC. Via similar structures in the Iron Age (c. 400 BCc.
1_Apprentice
Almost everyone likes potatoes and there are so many different ways to prepare them
0_Wizard
There are indeed many ways to prepare them, and now after selective breeding, there are also a thousand different types of potatoes as well! 
Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over a thousand different types of potatoes.
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Selective breeding
Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant males and females will sexually reproduce and have offspring together. Domesticated animals are known as breeds, normally bred by a professional breeder, while domesticated plants are known as varieties, cultigens, or cultivars. Two purebred animals of different breeds produce a crossbreed, and crossbred plants are called hybrids. Flowers, vegetables and fruit-trees may be bred by amateurs and commercial or non-commercial professionals: major crops are usually the provenance of the professionals.
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. "Potato" may be applied to both the plant and the edible tuber. Potato has become a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. It is the world's fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, and rice. The green leaves and green skins of tubers exposed to the light are toxic. In the Andes, where the species is indigenous, some other closely related species are cultivated. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish.
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses. Furthermore, modern breeding management and technologies can increase the rate of conception, a healthy pregnancy, and successful foaling. The male parent of a horse, a stallion, is commonly known as the "sire" and the female parent, the mare, is called the "dam". Both are genetically important, as each parent provides half of the genetic makeup of the ensuing offspring, called a foal.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation and breeding of animals, plants and fungi for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. The history of agriculture by humans dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies; industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture farming has become the dominant agricultural method.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas and their descendants. Although some indigenous peoples of the Americas were traditionally hunter-gatherers—and many, especially in the Amazon basin, still are—many groups practiced aquaculture and agriculture. The impact of their agricultural endowment to the world is a testament to their time and work in reshaping and cultivating the flora indigenous to the Americas. Although some societies depended heavily on agriculture, others practiced a mix of farming, hunting and gathering. In some regions the indigenous peoples created monumental architecture, large-scale organized cities, chiefdoms, states and empires.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is one of eleven accredited schools in the U.S. for training guide dogs — dogs trained to lead the blind and visually impaired. With its headquarters, training center and veterinary clinic in Yorktown Heights, New York, Guiding Eyes also operates a canine development center in Patterson, New York and a training site in White Plains, New York. The school offers a program designed for blind and visually impaired students with additional developmental or physical challenges, such as deafness or seizure disorders. Dogs and staff are specifically selected and receive extra training to enable them to assist these students.
Finnhorse
The Finnhorse or Finnish Horse (, literally "horse of Finland"; nickname: "Suokki", or , literally "finnish cold-blood") is a horse breed with both riding horse and draught horse influences and characteristics, and is the only breed developed fully in Finland. In English it is sometimes called the Finnish Universal, as the Finns consider the breed capable of fulfilling all of Finland's horse needs, including agricultural and forestry work, harness racing, and riding. In 2007, the breed was declared the official national horse breed of Finland. The Finnhorse is claimed to be among the fastest and most versatile "coldblood" breeds in the world.
1_Apprentice
Really? I had no idea there were different types other than red or russet. What are the types?
0_Wizard
Russet and russet burbank are two different types i am familiar with. They are very popular in North America. I buy them all the time at walmart!
Russet Burbank is a potato cultivar with dark brown skin and few eyes that is the most widely grown potato in North America.
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Russet Burbank
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Russet Burbank
Russet Burbank is a potato cultivar with dark brown skin and few eyes that is the most widely grown potato in North America. A russet type, its flesh is white, dry, and mealy, and it is good for baking, mashing, and french fries. It is a common and popular potato. This variety is a mutation (or sport) of the cultivar 'Burbank' that was selected by the plant breeder Luther Burbank. The known lineage of Russet Burbank began in 1851 when Chauncey E. Goodrich imported Rough Purple Chili from South America in an attempt to add diversity to American potato stocks which were susceptible to late blight.
Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables. He developed (but did not create) a spineless cactus (useful for cattle-feed) and the plumcot. Burbank's most successful strains and varieties include the Shasta daisy, the fire poppy (note possible confusion with the California wildflower, "Papaver californicum", which is also called a fire poppy), the "July Elberta" peach, the "Santa Rosa" plum, the "Flaming Gold" nectarine, the "Wickson" plum (named after the agronomist Edward J. Wickson), the freestone peach, and the white blackberry.
Russet potato
A russet potato is a type of potato that is large, with dark brown skin and few eyes. The flesh is white, dry, and mealy, and it is suitable for baking, mashing, and french fries. Russet potatoes are also known as Idaho potatoes. To improve the disease resistance of Irish potatoes, Luther Burbank selected the potato that became known as the Russet Burbank. It was not patented because plants such as potatoes propagated from tubers were not granted patents in the United States. Restaurants such as McDonald's use russet potatoes for their size, which produce long pieces suitable for french fries. As of 2009, "McDonald's top tuber is the Russet Burbank".
Russet sparrow
The russet sparrow ("Passer cinnamomeus"), also called the cinnamon or cinnamon tree sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. A chunky little seed-eating bird with a thick bill, it has a body length of . Its plumage is mainly warm rufous above and grey below. It exhibits sexual dimorphism, with the plumage of both sexes patterned similarly to that of the corresponding sex of house sparrow. Its vocalisations are sweet and musical chirps, which when strung together form a song. Three subspecies are recognised, differing chiefly in the yellowness of their underparts. The subspecies "rutilans" and "intensior" breed in parts of eastern Asia, where they are usually found in light woodland, and the subspecies "cinnamomeus" breeds in the Himalayas, where it is usually associated with terrace cultivation.
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The population at the 2010 census was 103,340. Billed as the "Media Capital of the World" and only a few miles northeast of Hollywood, numerous media and entertainment companies are headquartered or have significant production facilities in Burbank, including The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, The Burbank Studios, Cartoon Network Studios with the West Coast branch of Cartoon Network, and Insomniac Games. The city is also home to Hollywood Burbank Airport, previously known as Bob Hope Airport.
Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., doing business as Walmart, is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores. Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, the company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated on October 31, 1969. It also owns and operates Sam's Club retail warehouses. Walmart has 11,703 stores and clubs in 28countries, operating under 59 differentnames. The company operates under the name Walmart in the United States and Canada, as Walmart de México y Centroamérica in Mexico and Central America, as Asda in the United Kingdom, as the Seiyu Group in Japan, and as Best Price in India.
Ranger Russet
The Ranger Russet is a late-maturing potato that is used for baking and processing into fries. It was originally bred by Joseph J. Pavek of the USDA in Aberdeen, Idaho, and released jointly by the USDA and the agricultural stations of Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Colorado in 1991. Ranger Russet is not under plant variety protection. It yields medium to high numbers of tubers with a short dormancy period. Ranger Russet has a dormancy period of approximately 100 days when stored at 45 F. This means if the potatoes are being stored to be used as seed they must be kept about 7-9 degrees cooler in order to prevent excessive sprouting and aging.
1_Apprentice
I will have to look for those. I love plain old mashed potatoes the best with sour cream, butter and bacon bits
0_Wizard
Yes mashed potatoes are definitely a staple. Recipes for mashed potatoes actually started appearing back in 1747, Hannah Glasse introduced them fun fact.
Recipes started appearing in 1747 with an entry in "The Art of Cookery" by Hannah Glasse.
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Mashed potato
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Mashed potato
Mashed potato (British English) or mashed potatoes (American English), is a dish prepared by mashing boiled potatoes. Cream, garlic and butter are frequently used in preparation. The dish is commonly associated within the United States with holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Recipes started appearing in 1747 with an entry in "The Art of Cookery" by Hannah Glasse. Dehydrated and frozen mashed potatoes are available in many supermarkets. The use of "floury" types of potatoes is recommended, although "waxy" potatoes are sometimes used for a different texture. There are a multitude of "floury" types, but the most commonly known include russet, golden wonder, and red rascal potatoes.
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. "Potato" may be applied to both the plant and the edible tuber. Potato has become a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. It is the world's fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, and rice. The green leaves and green skins of tubers exposed to the light are toxic. In the Andes, where the species is indigenous, some other closely related species are cultivated. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish.
Instant mashed potatoes
Instant mashed potatoes are potatoes that have been through an industrial process of cooking, mashing and dehydrating to yield a packaged convenience food that can be reconstituted by adding hot water or milk, producing a close approximation of mashed potatoes. They are available in different flavors. Mashed potatoes can be reconstituted from potato flour, but the process is made more difficult by lumping; a key characteristic of instant mashed potatoes is that it is in the form of flakes or granules, eliminating the chunkiness. Analogous to instant mashed potatoes are instant poi made from taro and instant fufu made from yams or yam substitutes including cereals.
English cuisine
English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, partly through the importation of ingredients and ideas from North America, China, and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of post-war immigration. Traditional meals have ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, roasted and stewed meats, meat and game pies, boiled vegetables and broths, and freshwater and saltwater fish. The 14th-century English cookbook, the "Forme of Cury", contains recipes for these, and dates from the royal court of Richard II.
(Do the) Mashed Potatoes
"(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" is a rhythm and blues instrumental. It was recorded by James Brown with his band in 1959 and released as a two-part single in 1960. For contractual reasons the recording was credited to "Nat Kendrick and the Swans". The recording of "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" arose out of James Brown's success in using the Mashed Potato dance as part of his stage show. Brown wanted to record a Mashed Potatoes-themed instrumental with his band in order to capitalize on the dance's popularity. However, King Records head Syd Nathan, a frequent critic of Brown's proposals, would not allow it.
Pierogi
Pierogi ( ) (singular pieróg), also known as varenyky, are filled dumplings of Central European origin made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. These dumplings are popular in West Slavic (Polish and Slovak), Hungarian, East Slavic (Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian), Baltic (Latvian and Lithuanian) and other Central and Eastern European cuisines where they are known under their local names. However, pierogi are especially almost always associated with Poland and Slovakia, where they are considered national dishes. Typical fillings include potato, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, and fruits.
Schnitzel
A schnitzel is meat, usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer, that is fried in some kind of oil or fat. The term is most commonly used to refer to meats coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried, but some variants such as Walliser Schnitzel are not breaded. Originating in Austria, the breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and made using either veal, mutton, chicken, beef, turkey, reindeer, or pork. It is very similar to the French dish escalope, and the milanesa of Uruguay and Argentina. The German word "Schnitzel", Middle High German "Snitzel", is a diminutive of "Sniz" 'slice'.
1_Apprentice
Potato salad is another staple as well as baked potatoes. I can make a meal out of a baked potatoe