Potato varieties: The best 50 varieties at a glance

The potatoes Linda, Annabelle & Gala are well-known varieties. The best potato varieties in Germany, from floury to waxy, can be found here.

Since 2008 as International Year of the Potato (Solanum tuberosum) was called out, the potato gets a little more attention again. Nevertheless, the potato often still leads a shadowy existence. In most German supermarkets there is only a very limited selection of potato varieties. The 210 varieties cultivated in Germany may seem like a lot, but appearances can be deceiving. Compares the selection of varieties in Germany with the more than 4000 potato varieties known to us quickly realized that in modern agriculture only a dangerously small gene pool is cultivated will.

Potato varieties at a glance: waxy to floury

The different potato varieties can be subdivided according to different criteria. In addition to the classification according to the cooking properties (boiling to mealy), the point of ripening (very early to late) is particularly important among hobby gardeners.

Potatoes are divided into three different categories based on their starch content: waxy, predominantly waxy, and floury. The more starch a potato contains, the looser it becomes when cooked. Floury potatoes are therefore drier and softer than the waxy version. This is firm and juicy and has a pithy bite and a fine structure. The properties of predominantly waxy potatoes lie between the two variants.
The properties of the tuber determine which dish can be prepared from them. After all, fried potatoes shouldn't disintegrate so quickly, while this is of course more desirable when preparing puree.

Waxy Potatoes

Waxy potatoes usually contain slightly less starch than floury ones. Waxy varieties are used especially for fried potatoes, potato salad and boiled potatoes, as they are firmer, “juicier” and have a finer texture.

• linda: medium-early variety with long, oval tubers whose smooth skin is yellow. The deep yellow flesh has an excellent creamy taste and is popular as a salad, boiled, jacket or gratin potato. Furthermore, this variety is characterized by its good shelf life.
• Sieglinde: early variety with long oval tubers and typically yellow skin and flesh. Due to its pleasantly strong taste, this potato is very popular for salad dishes or as a salt or vegetable dish. jacket potato.
• Heideniere: medium-early variety with elongated tubers with a typical yellow colour. Its delicately spicy, greasy taste makes Heideniere a popular jacket, salad or boiled potato.
• Annabelle: very early potato variety with elongated tubers whose skin and flesh are typically yellow. The potatoes impress with their very good, fine taste and are suitable as salad, jacket or boiled potatoes.
• Nicola: medium-early variety with long, oval tubers with a typical yellow colour. The light yellow, tasty flesh is suitable as a jacket, boiled or salad potato. Nicola is Potato of the Year 2016!
• la rat: medium-early variety with an elongated, croissant-shaped tuber whose skin and flesh are yellow. This potato variety is also known as "Asparges" and impresses with its very good, greasy taste. It is suitable as a salad or jacket potato.
• goldmarie: early variety with long oval tubers and yellow skin. The yellow flesh has a fine, aromatic taste and is suitable as a boiled, boiled or salad potato.
• Glorietta: very early variety with long oval yellow tubers. The deep yellow flesh has a very aromatic taste and is suitable as a salad, grilled or baked potato.
• Charlotte: medium-early potato variety with long-oval, yellow tubers. The yellow flesh has a very good, aromatic taste and is suitable as a salad or jacket potato.
• Allians: medium-early variety with long-oval, yellow tubers. The deep yellow flesh is characterized by a very fine aroma and is popular as a salad, boiled or jacket potato.

Mostly waxy potatoes

This type of potato already has a slightly higher starch content and with it a higher tendency to break down when cooked. Predominantly waxy potato varieties are mainly suitable for preparing boiled and jacket potatoes as well as French fries.

• La Bonnotte: medium-early variety whose yellow, round tubers are embossed with deep eyes. The yellow flesh is extremely creamy and has a delicate taste. The potatoes are suitable boiled, boiled or salad potatoes.
• finca: very early variety with oval tubers whose skin and flesh are typically yellow. Its strong aroma makes it a popular mashed or boiled potato.
• granola: medium-early variety with round-oval tubers in a typical yellow colour. Due to its excellent taste, it is popular as a fried potato or for dumplings and potato dough dishes.
• first steling: very early variety with long oval tubers with typical yellow skin and flesh. Due to their good, greasy taste, they are popular as boiled, baked or puree potatoes.
• Aeggeblomme: medium-early variety with round tubers and yellow skin. The meat is deep yellow in color and impresses with its unique, delicately spicy taste. It is suitable as a boiled, boiled, baked or mashed potato.
• Lady Balfour: medium-early variety with round-oval tubers whose yellow skin is dotted with red dots. The light yellow flesh has a good aromatic taste and is popular as a boiled and baked potato.
• Marabel: early variety with oval yellow tubers. The yellow flesh is very aromatic and is suitable as a jacket or boiled potato.

Predominantly firm to mealy potatoes

The predominantly firm to floury potato varieties can be used for the same dishes as predominantly firm potatoes. Some chefs therefore combine these two categories.

• hela: very early variety with oval tubers. Both skin and flesh are typically yellow in color. The potatoes have a pleasantly mild aroma and are suitable as mashed, boiled or baked potatoes.
• bintje: medium-early variety with long-oval tubers whose skin and flesh are yellow. The potatoes are characterized by their mild, creamy taste and are popular as baked, mashed or boiled potatoes.
• Almond Potato: medium-late variety with small, almond-like tubers with a typical yellow colour. It is also known as "Puikula" and is a popular jacket potato due to its creamy taste.

Floury potatoes

Mealy potatoes have a higher starch content. These potatoes break down more easily when cooked and are ideal for dishes such as puree, gnocchi, dumplings and potato soups.

• augusta: early variety with round-oval, typically yellow tubers. Thanks to their mild, aromatic taste, the potatoes are ideal for soups, dumplings or gnocchi.
• dress: medium-early variety with yellow, round tubers. The yellow flesh has a strong, spicy taste and is ideal for dumplings and potato dough dishes.
• bounty: medium-late potato variety with round tubers in a typical yellow colour. The potatoes have an excellent buttery taste and are suitable as mashed or baked potatoes.

Quick Cooking Potatoes

• Mayan gold: medium-early variety with elongated tubers, which are typically yellow in color. Due to their creamy but pleasantly dry texture and the nutty-sweet aroma, these potatoes are ideal as baked potatoes, potato soup or pancakes.

Exotics: colorful and special potato varieties

In recent years, more exotic varieties have also come back into fashion. The Blue Annelise, for example, has dark blue to purple flesh. In general, such colorful potatoes usually have a more intense and nutty taste. These varieties are particularly suitable for decorative and attractive dishes, such as a colorful potato salad made from yellow, red and purple potatoes.

• Red Emmalie: early-ripening variety with elongated tubers. The shell is smooth and strikingly red in color. The mainly waxy potatoes are particularly suitable as salad, puree, jacket potatoes or as pink gnocchi due to their spicy taste.
• heather red: medium late variety with long oval tubers. Both skin and flesh are colored red. The waxy potatoes have a slightly buttery, aromatic taste and are ideal for salads, roasts and jacket potatoes.
• Violetta: medium-early variety with long-oval tubers. The skin is deep blue and the flesh is unusually purple in colour. The waxy potatoes with a pleasantly strong taste are particularly popular as boiled potatoes, jacket potatoes, fried potatoes or as a colorful potato salad.
• Blue Anneliese: medium late variety with oval tubers. The waxy potatoes are particularly noticeable because of their beautiful blue skin and blue flesh. Due to its pleasantly strong aroma, it is well suited as a salad, boiled or blue mashed potato.
• Angelite pine cone: medium late variety with long overgrown (pinecone-like) tubers. The firm-boiling tubers with pink skin and yellow flesh have a delicately aromatic aroma and are suitable for jacket potatoes, salad potatoes and fried potatoes.

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• laura: medium-early variety with long, oval tubers, the skin of which is strikingly red and the flesh is deep yellow. The predominantly waxy potatoes have a pleasantly strong taste and are suitable for French fries, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes or mashed potatoes.
• Bamberg Krumbeere: medium-late variety with croissant-shaped tubers, the skin of which is yellow-pink in colour. The waxy, yellow flesh has a very good, spicy taste and is ideal as a salad, fried or boiled potato.
• desiree: medium-early variety with oval tubers. What is striking here is the red skin and the light yellow flesh, which is characterized by its juicy, fruity aroma. The potatoes are suitable as baked, salted, jacket potatoes or rösti.
• Black Hungarian: medium-early variety with elongated tubers whose skin is deep blue-violet in colour. In contrast is the light yellow, almost white flesh, which has a great creamy taste. The mealy potatoes are suitable as jacket and puree potatoes.
• Odenwald Blue: medium-late variety with round tubers, whose skin is dark blue in color and contrasts with the light yellow flesh. The mealy potatoes have a good, spicy taste and are suitable as mashed, baked or boiled potatoes.
• Pink pine cones: medium-late variety with croissant-shaped tubers, the skin of which is pink. The firm-boiling meat is yellow in color and has a very good, spicy aroma. The potatoes are also called "pink fir apple" and are suitable as salad or boiled potatoes.
• Rode firstborn: early variety with striking red, round-oval tubers. The yellow flesh has a wonderful creamy taste. The mainly waxy potatoes are also known as "Red Duke of York" and are suitable as mashed or boiled potatoes.
• Blue Swede: medium-early variety with round-oval tubers, the skin and flesh of which are beautifully colored blue-violet. The mainly waxy potato is also known as "Blue Congo" and with its strong taste is well suited as a salad, baked, jacket or boiled potato.
• Pink Gipsy: early to medium-early variety with long-oval tubers whose skin is a striking yellow-red colour. The mainly waxy, yellow flesh is characterized by a good, fine taste and is suitable as a boiled and baked potato.
• RedSonia: very early potato variety with oval tubers and conspicuous red skin. The light yellow flesh impresses with its good, spicy taste. The predominantly waxy potato is well suited as a baked and mashed potato.
• Sarpo Mira: medium late variety with long, oval, light red tubers. The light yellow flesh is characterized by the fruity taste. The predominantly waxy potato is popular as a boiled, jacket and salad potato. Sarpo Mira has a high resistance to late blight!

Potato varieties: classification according to ripening time

In addition to the cooking properties, the ripening time is also of great importance for the hobby gardener. Without special protection or pesticides, late-ripening potato varieties are affected by late blight. Early-ripening varieties can be harvested before this annoying fungus appears.

Very early varieties:

• acapella
• Arosa
• Bella prima
• finca
• Osira

Precocious varieties:

• assets
• cilena
• Gala
• Marabel
• Princess

Mid-early varieties:

• Agria
• Blue Swede
• blue St. Gallen
• Filea
• quarter

Medium late to late ripening varieties:

• bounty
• Cascade
• Highland Burgundy Red
• Black-blue from the Franconian Forest
• vitelotte

An Appeal for Variety: Lessons from the Great Famine

It is true that one should not focus too much on the limited choice from an economic point of view (because groceries also have to be affordable). However, it is reasonable to assume that a chapter of European history is hardly present in people's minds. Because the in English as Irish potato famine known Great Famine had at least part of its cause in the cultivation of a few varieties of potatoes. This genetically very limited variety pool had no resistance to potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). The fungal disease quickly became an epidemic and led to enormous crop failures. In conjunction with the heavy dependence on the potato as a staple food, one of the greatest famines in human history occurred in the years 1845-1852. According to current knowledge, about one million people died as a result and about two million people emigrated from Ireland. The famine that happened in the past should still be seen as a warning today. It is true that nutrition has become significantly more diverse and, thanks to modern pesticides, agriculture is armed against crop failures. Nevertheless, the genetic pool is of great importance for the breeding of new varieties. Even in the Andes, the home of the potato, where the tubers have been cultivated for thousands of years, the diversity of varieties is shrinking. Many varieties have fallen victim to disease, structural upheaval and rural exodus in recent decades.

But there is hope for the biodiversity of potatoes: The International Potato Center (IPC) was founded in Peru in 1971, co-financed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust. Among other things, the IPC supports the Parque de la Papa, a 15,000 hectare park that aims to become the Noah's Ark of the potato. Local and regional potato species and varieties are cultivated and protected in the park. So far, the park includes around 1300 different varieties. In the long term, as many of the 4,000 varieties as possible are to be established there. In addition to the cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum), which is mainly known in Europe, about a dozen other potato species are cultivated in the Andes. Experts also assume there are over 200 wild species. In addition to the innumerable types of potatoes, around 3000 different types of potatoes are native to the Andes.

Potato varieties in Germany: Sieglinde, Ackersegen and Reichskanzler

Around 210 potato varieties are currently approved for cultivation in Germany. As already mentioned above, in Germany the varieties are categorized according to different properties. In addition to the type of cooking (solid, predominantly solid and floury), taste (mild, delicately spicy, strongly spicy, nutty, sweet, marzipan aroma), texture (floury, buttery, creamy), skin and flesh color (white, yellow, pink, red, violet) and harvest time (very early, early, mid-early, mid to late). Meaning.

Not enough potatoes yet? In this article you will find 8 more precocious potato varieties for growing in the garden.