Potatoes used daily are popular with the white or yellow potatoes. They make us sometimes to think about the limit in types of this fruit. In reality, there are different types. They are cultivated in different area and exist their features that effected by the soil, climate, farming and other factors.
Have you ever wondered how many types of potatoes presented around? It is estimated that there are several hundred types at least. And its richness can be a story that surprises us because we sometimes pay our attention to white or yellow potatoes only and we seem to give a question about the variety of this popular fruit never.
To mention about the variety of potatoes, there are the different criteria to classify them such as the area where the potato plant cultivated, the shape or the color. In the role of a consumer, of course we may concern to a part of the potato story or its variety. So in this article, we share some typical things that related to potato types in the most popular way as we can.
It is said that the main groups of potatoes in classification, there are 5 main groups in short to know about. They are the white round group and yellow group that we know clearly daily and the rest groups included red rounds, russets and blues.
White round group
There are about 30 types in this group. The names you may meet somewhere in the vegetable market such as Allegany potato, Atlantic potato, CalWhite, Cascade, Chipeta, Irish Cobbler, Lamoka, Monona, Norwis, Waneta etc. They are named base on different reasons. These types have overall round shape in tubers with different sizes, white flesh, skin texture may be smooth or netted or dark a little bit or slight.
The white round group is considered to have the neutral texture in the flesh of red round groups and russet group. They have a little bit of each feature in the flesh of red round and russet potatoes. So the white potatoes are used popularly in the frying and steaming recipes. They are also used in salad recipes or mashing recipes if the consumers who have no any special request related to flesh texture.
Yellow group
There are more than 30 types in this group. The potatoes arranged in this group have the yellow or pale yellow color in flesh. The tuber shape may be oval, round oval or long oval. The skin color may be yellow or red. And some names from this group you may find out in the market such as Abeille, Borwina, Primura, Lady Rosetta, Sante, Cara, Nicola etc.
The yellow potatoes are waxy a little bit in their flesh after cooking. The flesh texture is also to have the moist and velvety status. This type is used widely in mashing. And many people love to use them in the roasting recipes.
Red round
The group is not rich such as yellow and white potatoes. It is with nearly 10 names such as Chieftain, La Rouge, Red La Soda, Viking etc. The main point related to this group is that its skin color is red or dark red. They have mostly oval shape or long oval shape, white and smooth flesh.
The red round have the waxy, moist, smooth and creamy texture, so they are used mainly in the soup recipes, salad recipes or stew recipes because this way of cooking requests the stable firm in texture after cooking process.
Russet group
There are more than 10 names arranged in this group such as BelRus, Frontier Russet, Lemhi Russet, Russet Norkotah etc. Russet group has the oblong shape in tuber or long oval with medium size or large size; skin color may be slight or dark and their flesh may be white or cream or pale yellow.
About the flesh texture, the russet group is considered to have the dry, floury and fluffy texture. So the types are used popularly in the mashing and roasting recipes.
Blue potatoes
The group is special by the flesh color with blue purple or dark purple. They are also called Adirondack Blue with oblong tubers, blue purple skins and dark purple fleshes.
The blue potatoes have the floury texture in their flesh. They are moist but not so much. This type is used in salad recipes for great color and taste.
Base on shape and size
Fingerling potatoes
The fingerling potatoes are actually the potatoes called base on long shape or oblong tubers or long oval tubers. They may be white or yellow or blue potatoes. The skin color may be pale yellow, slight red or red or dark red color. Related to the flesh, they may be white or yellow or pale yellow or blue purple or dark purple. And some types are considered that they have the soft texture in flesh after cooking more than some round types. The criteria are not easy to reach the most common conclusion because the structure in the flesh of potatoes is also decided by different things such as the farming and condition cultivate not completely by the seed.
By the advantage of the shape in tuber, the fingerling potatoes are popularly used in roasting recipes. They are easy to be combined with other ingredients to make the wonderful dishes for flavor and appearance.
Petite potatoes
Petite potatoes have the small round size or small oval shape in tubers. They may be yellow, pale yellow, white or red color in the skin. They may be white or pale yellow or yellow in their flesh.
Petite potatoes are considered one of the beautiful ingredients that can bring the art in the plate by nice size. They also help to save time for cooking by this advantage.
