On Potatoes ...

[lesliec]

Afternoon, all.

Down here in the wilds of New Zealand, I am very fond of a type of potato called the Agria. It has slightly yellowish flesh, and I find it the best I can get for pretty much everything - it roasts beautifully, makes fabulous chips, and my mashed spuds are beyond compare.

However, I've never come across mention of it in eGullet or elsewhere. When English writers or TV shows mention good spuds, they always wax (a-hyuk!) lyrical about the Maris Piper, which I've never seen here. And I don't think I've come across Americans referring to either of them - if I had to name one 'American' type, it would be the King Edward. Which leads me to wonder ... like so many other things, do spud varieties have different names in different parts of the world, and are we maybe all using the same variety but confusing each other by calling it something different?

If this is indeed the case, does anybody out there have a convenient 'conversion table' for types of taters, allowing all of us to be confident we're using the same sort when we try somebody else's recipe? Alternatively, can anybody tell me why each region seems to have its own top spud?

Yours farinaceously,

Leslie

[Nayan Gowda]

Leslie,

I don't have a handy conversion table, but have you come across this site?.

If you have the patience you can cross reference it with this English resource, and this American resource.

Hope that is a step in the right direction for you.

Cheers,

Nayan

[Adam Balic]

In general the names are registered, so they will be the same name in different countries.

Sites like the European cultivated Potato Databaseprovide extensive information on individual potato types and there cooking properties.

[lesliec]

Thanks, Nayan and Adam.

All your links were useful (although the European database is slightly suspect in parts - looking at its lists of similar varieties, it seems that Maris Piper itself only matches 9 of 13 characteristics of Maris Piper!).

I have two conclusions. First, the Agria is probably more floury than the MP and thus even better for my favourite uses (roasting, chips, mashing). Second, it doesn't look as though anybody's growing MP here anyway, so (1) is probably a good thing.

Thanks again for your help.

Bye,

Leslie