Centro Internacional de la Papa International Potato Center
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Publications /  The Potato, Treasure of the Andes
From Agriculture to Culture

INTRODUCTION

 Christine Graves
This book was conceived as a celebration of two important events. The first took place in November 1999 when several countries and institutions that support the International Potato Center’s work signed an agreement granting CIP full legal status as an international organization. This agreement, promoted by the government of Peru, will greatly facilitate the Center’s decentralized operations worldwide. Although CIP has worked in and on behalf of developing countries since its founding in 1971, the international legal status makes it easier to reach and carry out agreements with partner countries. This signing was followed, in March 2000, by the renewal of CIP’s host-country agreement with Peru. This was necessary because the original agreement by which this country had accorded to host the Center – almost 30 years prior – had reached its end. These two institutional milestones substantiate the excellent relationship that Peru and CIP have cultivated over three decades of cooperation.

At the turn of the millennium, the International Potato Center could think of no better way to celebrate these events than through a homage to the crop that has been at the heart of CIP’s research program since it was founded: the potato. As the reader will find in the pages that follow, the potato has made a remarkable journey, not just across continents and oceans, but also from agriculture to culture the world over. Nowhere is this last passage more evident than in its native land. The thousands of names used to refer to the potato in the Andes testify to its profound significance for the people who have nurtured and sustained its diversity over time. Names in the native Quechua and Aimara languages refer to color, size and shape, and speak of usage, origin or special characteristics tied to ritual and folklore. This multiplicity of names bears witness to the potato’s privileged place in personal, family and social life. Andean people revere the earth that provides them with their food and their livelihood, and for them the potato is its quintessential product.

But the potato is also at home in places far beyond the Andes. For nearly 500 years it has made its way around the world, taking root in countless cultures and communities. When we speak of foods such as knishes or gnocchi, ajiaco or aluko chop, rösti or dauphine, we evoke flavors that go far beyond the sum of a few ingredients. In the following pages, readers will see how potato harvests in Africa or in Asia evoke the same spirit of reverence and joy they do in this crop’s Andean home.

Because this versatile tuber is so many things to so many people, we have sought in this book to present the views of a diverse group of potato specialists and enthusiasts. Be they naturalists, historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, scientists or journalists – each has a compelling story to tell. We hope that readers will gain a fuller understanding of the rich tradition surrounding the potato in the Andes; of its journey to new homes in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe; and of its enormous potential to meet critical needs in the decades to come.

Christine Graves
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