Born on May 30
International Day of Potato
Eight thousand years and still going.
Next: May 30, 2027
Where it comes from
The International Day of Potato is one of the newest UN days. Peru, which considers itself the potato's main centre of origin, proposed it, building on a resolution of the FAO Conference of 7 July 2023, and the UN General Assembly adopted it by consensus that December. The first observance was on 30 May 2024.
How it's celebrated
FAO and partner countries hold events on farming, nutrition and the potato's many varieties, and growers, chefs and schools share recipes and know-how. At home it is an easy day to join in: cook a potato dish from another country's kitchen, such as an Indian aloo curry, or try a variety you have never bought before.
Did you know
The potato was first cultivated around 8000 BC. There are now more than 5,000 varieties, about 4,000 of them native varieties found mostly in the Andes.
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