Linda, Laura and Sieglinde are among the best-known potato varieties. But delicious potatoes are also hidden behind apparently unusual names such as Blauer Schwede and Bamberger Hörnchen. Have you ever heard of granola?

Granola is a medium-early, predominantly waxy potato with yellow flesh. It was awarded Potato of the Year 2014.

potato variety

With over 5000 potato varieties, the choice is not easy. There are potatoes with red and yellow skins, sometimes oblong, sometimes round or oval. The blue potatoes like the Blue Swede seem quite exotic.

The flavor variety of the potato is even greater. Here you can choose between subtly spicy or strongly spicy, greasy, nutty, sweet, creamy, buttery and even with a marzipan note.

The cook types

Not every potato is suitable for fried potatoes. While Nicola and Selma are easy to cut after cooking, the floury Adretta would fall apart in the pan. Due to their different cooking and processing properties, the tubers are divided into three types of cooking: waxy potatoes, predominantly waxy potatoes and floury potatoes.

Waxy potatoes such as the Sieglinde, Cilena and Vitelotte varieties contain little starch. They are moist even after cooking, retain their firm consistency and are easy to cut. They can be used to prepare salads, fried potatoes, fries and gratins.

Agria, Solana, Quarta and Granola belong to the predominantly waxy potatoes. Their shell easily bursts open during cooking. They are the ideal boiled, jacket and fried potatoes.

Mealy varieties have a high starch content. They taste dry, their skin bursts when they are cooked and they fall apart almost by themselves. They are ideal for mashing and pureeing. Delicious mashed potatoes, soups, dumplings and potato pancakes are made from Adretta, Freya and Augusta. Also ideal as a baked potato.

Even more differences

An important distinguishing feature is the degree of ripeness of the potatoes. They are divided into very early and early potatoes, medium early, late and very late varieties. Early varieties are harvested from June, mid-early from August and late until the end of October.

A distinction is also made between ware potatoes and commercial potatoes. While some have been on our menu for a long time, starch, alcohol, potato flour and adhesives are obtained from farm potatoes.

Red, yellow or blue - which potato would you like?

When choosing your potato variety, you should be guided by taste, use and shelf life. And when growing, try something new or rediscover one of the old varieties.

The classic among the potatoes

The oldest German potato in the variety list is the Sieglinde.

  • Sieglinde: yellow potato, long-oval to long yellow tubers, delicately spicy taste, waxy, early variety, salad, boiled, jacket and fried potatoes
  • Bintje: large, yellow tuber, medium-early, very high-yielding variety, mainly waxy to floury, mashed potatoes, crisps, potato of the year 2012
  • Pink pine cone: elongated shape with adhesions, pink skin, yellow flesh, spicy taste, waxy, late variety, salad, skin on, boiled potato, potato of the year 2013

Popular potato varieties

High yields, good storage qualities and their aromatic taste made these potatoes the most popular varieties.

  • Linda: large, oval, yellow potato, medium-early variety, creamy taste, waxy to mostly waxy
  • Laura: round to oval, red skin, yellow flesh, large, creamy, very late variety, mainly sticky
  • Agria: round, yellow-fleshed potato, medium to large, floury with a fine floury taste, very late variety
  • Adretta: round to oval, medium-sized tuber, ocher skin, yellow flesh, medium-early to early variety, floury, cellar potato

new potatoes

  • Christa: very early variety, round, medium-sized tuber with yellow skin and yellow flesh, finely aromatic, mostly firm
  • Cilena: yellow potatoes, waxy, salad potatoes and fried potatoes
  • Marabel: yellow, slightly oval potato, mostly waxy
  • Rosara: red-skinned, very early potato, mostly waxy
  • Margit: yellow potato, round to oval, medium-sized, fine floury taste

They still know Grandma and Grandpa

Potatoes have been known in Germany since the 17th century and were initially cultivated as an ornamental plant because of their flowers. The Prussian king Frederick the Great, among others, recognized its usefulness. By his order, the peasants had to grow potatoes in their fields, and the Prussian king even had his soldiers guard them.

Many of the old potato varieties are no longer available today. Usually they have not proven themselves in industrial cultivation or because of their susceptibility to disease. They are still cultivated today by enthusiasts and organic farmers. You can buy them from other gardeners or over the internet.

  • Field blessings: late potatoes, high-yield, oval, medium-sized to large tubers, yellow-skinned, yellow flesh, mainly waxy to floury, boiled, puree and baked potatoes
  • Highland Burgundy Red: one of the few varieties with red flesh, round to oval skin, floury, medium late variety, baked and mashed potatoes
  • Bamberg croissants: elongated shape, yellow to pink skin, yellow flesh, strong, slightly nutty taste, waxy, salad potatoes, jacket potatoes

Try!

  • Blue Swede: round to oval, medium to large tubers, dark purple skin, blue flesh
    with marbling, nutty, floury, medium to late
  • Vitelotte: waxy potato, slightly nutty, spicy taste, black-purple skin, purple marbled flesh, salad and jacket potato
  • La Ratte: oblong, yellow variety, waxy,
    New potatoes, nutty, greasy taste, boiled potatoes, salad potatoes, fried potatoes, gratin potatoes
  • Mayan Twilight: elongated-oval, yellow-red spotted skin, golden-yellow flesh, tastes slightly of marzipan, medium-early variety, gourmet potato

Potatoes that can be stored

The mid-early to late varieties are suitable for storage. In a dark cellar with temperatures of 4 - 10 degrees, the potatoes will make it safely through the winter. Agria, Quanta, Melina, Secura, Adretta, Laura, Aula and the new variety Solana Queen Anne are recommended.

tips and tricks

The "Descriptive List of Varieties" of the Federal Office for Varieties can be found at www.bundessortenamt.de. It gives you an overview of the potato varieties permitted in Germany, at the moment there are 210.

Category:

Vegetable garden