Peru celebrates Potato Day

In Peru, the national holiday, the Day of the Potato, was merrily and noisily celebrated.

It is generally accepted that the homeland of the potato is Latin America. But the Peruvians believe that it was they who gave this root crop to the whole world. In Peru, he is a matter of national pride. They call him “Papa”. Dozens of varieties can be seen and bought at local markets.

Jaime Gallegos, General Manager of Lima Wholesale Market: “This is the heritage of our ancestors. Potatoes have a high nutritional value and are also considered our calling card, without which it is impossible to imagine the cuisine of any Peruvian.”

Flor Castillejos, potato saleswoman: “An incredible number of dishes are made from potatoes. And very tasty. You won’t starve to death with it.”

In Peru, almost 5 million tons of potatoes are grown annually. Almost 90 kilograms per Peruvian on average, the rest is exported. In Lima, they not only sell and eat potatoes, but also study them. The International Center operates in the capital, where extensive genetic material is stored – about 4 thousand samples of various varieties of this root crop.