White Potatoes
White potatoes have been an essential part of the diet of many people for centuries. Just as other variations it has a lot of nutrients and can be used to prepare different recipes.
Cooking the white type of potato is not hard at all. As a matter of fact; many civilizations through history have used it to satisfy their dietary needs.
Beginning
This potato also known as the Irish potato has been cultivated in South America for thousands of years. The ancient cultures that lived in that area including the Incas made this crop into their main food source. After the Spanish arrived to the area known as Peru today; they took several samples of white type and delivered to the European continent.
It wasn’t long before the Irish turned the potatoes into their crop of excellence. This worked for a while until in 1845 the late blight plague destroyed their crops and millions died of starvation. Potatoes weren’t exactly popular after the famine until a botanist named Alexander Millardet developed a way to exterminate the fungus that caused the plague.
Types of white potatoes
- Abnaki
- Atlantic
- Cascade
- Niska
- Snowden
- White Elephant
- White Rose
Comparing potatoes
You are probably aware that some potatoes have different sizes, texture and colors. These variations have more implications than their overall appearance. A specific potato type may be suited for certain recipes better than others. The starch which is the main component of all potatoes determines which potato is the right choice for a dish. White and Russet potatoes, for example, have different starch concentrations.
The Russet Burbank is known to be the most common potato. This potato posses a high amount of amylase, which is a type of starch that breaks down easily. Because of that specific starch; the Russet is ideal for frying and baking but not recommended for most salads or any recipe that requires the potato to not break with ease.
The shape of the white kind is quite similar to the Russet and the Yukon gold (yellow variety). The main difference between them resides in the thickness and the pale tone of the skin. The skin of a white potato is not as thick as the Russet and is lighter in color. It also has a moderate amount of amylase and the other starch known as amylopectin making this potato type one of the most balanced ones. The latter starch makes a potato to have a “waxy” texture.
Generally the white potato is a bit less waxy than red potatoes.
If you don’t find red potatoes then you can use the white type for the same recipes such as soups, salads and whenever is necessary for a potato to retain the shape.