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Spread of the Potato in Europe

Type Object Region South America Time c. 1567

Native to the Andes, the potato reached Europe through Spanish colonial trade in the mid-16th century, with cultivation records in Spain and the Cana…

Timeline

  1. c. -8000–1492Andean Plateau · PeruPotatoes were long domesticated and cultivated in the Andes, forming diverse local varieties, and were an important food crop of the Inca Empire.
  2. c. 1567–1570Canary Islands · Canary IslandsSpanish fleets carried potato tubers from Peru across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands and Iberia, completing the transoceanic species transfer.
  3. 1571–1580Spain and the Italian Peninsula · ItalyBetween 1571 and 1580, more cultivation and records of potatoes appeared in Spain and Italy, beginning to integrate into Europe's agricultural experimentation network.
  4. c. 1580Europe · EuropeAfter 1580 the potato gradually spread to Central and Northern Europe, becoming one of Europe's staple foods by the 18th century and profoundly changing demographic and agricultural patterns.

Sources