Potatoes are thought to only originate in South Africa, which has the highest diversity of wild potato varieties. Botanists agree that this is probably the best indication of the origin of a particular species. Specifically, the Andean region, with so many species of tuberous plants growing wild in Peru, Ecuador, and Chile.
The name potato probably comes from the Indian word for the plant that bears it: potato or paw.
Early on, explorers discovered that Peruvian Indians preserved potatoes by drying them in the sun, a practice that is still found today. It is believed that as the potato gained importance in their diet, they improved the wild potato from Peru, which is small and quite bitter. However, prior to this, caches of dried potatoes have been found. The dried potato can be pounded into flour and would have made a delicious soup, even in prehistoric times. Since it could be preserved from year to year, the potato was, along with corn, a very important crop for the ancient Inca peoples.
The first mention of potatoes in the Americas is found in the journals of Magellan and Columbus, where they are called “sweet potatoes.” They were brought to South and Central America when Pizarro conquered Peru and spread them through Spanish forts and ships.
In Ireland, the potato was brought to Ireland in 1565, although some say that it was Sir Walter Raleigh who first cultivated it there in 1585. Either way, it quickly became the staple of the Irish diet, to the point that when The Irish potato crop failed in 1847, one and a half million Irish died, and another million emigrated, mostly to the United States.
The potato also helped the starving masses of Europe when famine struck in 1770 and potatoes were grown to save the day. French leader Parmentier set up potato soup canteens to feed them, and to this day potato soup is named after him in French.