US scientists have found that all modern varieties of
potatoes can be traced back to a single source – a potato grown in Peru
over 7,000 years ago. The team, led by Dr David Spooner of the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, who spends two months a year
collecting wild potatoes on treks in South America’s mountainous
regions analysed the DNA of about 360 potatoes, both wild and
cultivated. Dr Spooner said archaeological finds had shown potatoes
were being grown in Peru by farmers “more than 7,000 years
ago”. Potatoes were brought back to Spain by the
conquistadors around 1570, and spread throughout Europe. They were
later introduced in North America by British colonists.