Varieties database

Potato Varieties,
From the Andes to McDonald's.

62 commercially significant cultivars across 7 regions — Russet Burbank, Bintje, Spunta, Maris Piper, Désirée, Kufri Pukhraj, Shangi, Yukon Gold, and dozens more. Origin, traits, and best uses for each.

The total estimated number of cultivated varieties worldwide is ~4,000 (CIP, FAO). This database tracks the commercially significant subset most relevant to international trade, breeding, and culinary use.

62
Commercial Varieties
7
Regions Covered
14
Frying Varieties
10
Chip Varieties
62 of 62
Region
Use
Russet Burbank
1872
USA (1872) · North America
The variety behind McDonald's fries. Long, oblong, high dry matter (~22%). Idaho's flagship cultivar.
Frying / FriesBaking / RoastingProcessing / Industrial
Russet Norkotah
1987
USA (1987) · North America
Russet for fresh market. Smoother skin than Burbank, earlier maturity, ideal baked-potato variety.
Baking / RoastingFresh market
Ranger Russet
1991
USA (1991) · North America
High-yielding processing Russet. Used by Lamb Weston and Simplot for premium frozen-fry lines.
Frying / FriesProcessing / Industrial
Umatilla Russet
1998
USA (1998) · North America
Pacific Northwest processing variety. Late-maturing, excellent fry colour.
Frying / FriesProcessing / Industrial
Yukon Gold
1980
Canada (1980) · North America
Distinctive yellow flesh, buttery flavour. The most-recognised North American specialty variety.
All-purposeBoiling / SaladMashing
Atlantic
1976
USA (1976) · North America
Dominant US chip-processing variety. High specific gravity (~1.090), low reducing sugars.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Lamoka
2010
USA (2010) · North America
Newer chip variety from Cornell. Better cold-storage tolerance than Atlantic, lower acrylamide.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Snowden
1990
USA (1990) · North America
Late-maturing chip variety. Very white flesh, excellent storage.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Red Norland
1957
USA (1957) · North America
Early red-skinned waxy variety. Holds shape when boiled. Common at US farmers' markets.
Boiling / SaladFresh market
Red Pontiac
1949
USA (1949) · North America
Versatile red-skinned mid-season variety. Smooth round tubers, good home-garden choice.
All-purposeBoiling / Salad
Kennebec
1948
USA (1948) · North America
Mid-season white-flesh classic. Long-favoured by chip shops; still grown across northern USA.
All-purposeFrying / Fries
Shepody
1980
Canada (1980) · North America
Early-maturing fry variety. Used by McDonald's alongside Russet Burbank for early-season fries.
Frying / FriesProcessing / Industrial
Bintje
1910
Netherlands (1910) · Western Europe
Belgium's fry king for over a century. Yellow-flesh, perfect for double-fried Belgian frites.
Frying / FriesAll-purpose
Maris Piper
1966
United Kingdom (1966) · Western Europe
UK's most popular variety. Cream flesh, fluffy texture, the British chip-shop standard.
Frying / FriesMashingAll-purpose
King Edward
1902
United Kingdom (1902) · Western Europe
120+ year-old British classic. Pink-eyed cream flesh, exceptional roasties and bakers.
Baking / RoastingMashing
Désirée
1962
Netherlands (1962) · Western Europe
Red-skinned yellow-flesh. Drought-tolerant, widely grown across Europe and South Asia.
All-purposeBoiling / SaladMashing
Charlotte
1981
France (1981) · Western Europe
Premium French waxy variety. Holds shape, prized for salads and Niçoise-style dishes.
Boiling / Salad
Estima
1973
Netherlands (1973) · Western Europe
Early second-cropping variety. Yellow flesh, common in Northern European supermarkets.
All-purposeBoiling / Salad
Maris Bard
1972
United Kingdom (1972) · Western Europe
First-early variety. Smooth white skin, ready in 70-90 days from planting.
Boiling / SaladFresh market
Cara
1976
Ireland (1976) · Western Europe
Irish-bred maincrop. Pink-eyed cream skin, scab-resistant.
Baking / RoastingAll-purpose
Rooster
1991
Ireland (1991) · Western Europe
Ireland's #1 variety. Red-skinned, golden flesh — the contemporary Irish kitchen standard.
All-purposeMashing
Innovator
1999
Netherlands (1999) · Western Europe
Premium European fry variety. Long oval shape, low sugars, used by Lamb Weston Europe.
Frying / FriesProcessing / Industrial
Lady Rosetta
1991
Netherlands (1991) · Western Europe
Red-skinned chip variety, dominant in PepsiCo's European chip supply chain.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Lady Claire
1996
Netherlands (1996) · Western Europe
Long-storage chip variety. Light fry colour, good acrylamide profile.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Hermes
1973
Netherlands (1973) · Western Europe
Long-established chip variety, especially in UK and South Africa.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Asterix
1991
Netherlands (1991) · Western Europe
Red-skinned all-purpose. Widely grown in Bangladesh, Egypt, and Brazil for fresh + processing.
All-purposeFrying / Fries
Spunta
1968
Netherlands (1968) · Western Europe
Heat-tolerant. The dominant variety in Egypt, Algeria, and much of MENA.
All-purposeFresh market
Diamant
1982
Netherlands (1982) · Western Europe
The most-grown variety in Bangladesh and a major variety across South Asia.
All-purposeFresh market
Cardinal
1969
Netherlands (1969) · Western Europe
Red-skinned. Common in South Asian markets — good shelf appearance and storage.
Fresh marketAll-purpose
Granola
1975
Germany (1975) · Western Europe
Yellow-flesh. Dominant table variety in Indonesia and parts of Southeast Asia.
All-purposeFresh market
Agria
1990
Germany (1990) · Western Europe
Yellow-flesh dual-purpose variety. Strong export presence to Mediterranean and MENA.
All-purposeFrying / Fries
Carolus
2010
Netherlands (2010) · Western Europe
Late-blight resistant variety from Agrico. Used in organic systems across NW Europe.
All-purposeBoiling / Salad
Carisma
Netherlands · Western Europe
Low-GI variety, certified by Sydney Glycemic Index Foundation at GI 53. Diabetic-friendly.
All-purposeBoiling / Salad
Kufri Pukhraj
1998
India / ICAR-CPRI (1998) · South Asia
Dominant Indian variety. Short-duration (75-90 days), planted across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
All-purposeFresh market
Kufri Jyoti
1968
India / ICAR-CPRI (1968) · South Asia
Long-running Indian commercial variety. White skin, white flesh, mid-season.
All-purposeBoiling / Salad
Kufri Chipsona-1
1998
India / ICAR-CPRI (1998) · South Asia
First Indian chip-processing variety. Low reducing sugars suited for chip industry.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Kufri Chipsona-3
2010
India / ICAR-CPRI (2010) · South Asia
Improved chip variety. Higher dry matter, better acrylamide profile than Chipsona-1.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Kufri Frysona
2012
India / ICAR-CPRI (2012) · South Asia
India's first French-fry-specific variety. Long oblong shape, suited for HoReCa.
Frying / FriesProcessing / Industrial
Kufri Tejas
2018
India / ICAR-CPRI (2018) · South Asia
Heat-tolerant variety bred for late-season 30-35°C tolerance in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
All-purposeFresh market
Kufri Bahar
1980
India / ICAR-CPRI (1980) · South Asia
Mid-season variety. Widely grown across Punjab and Haryana.
All-purpose
Kufri Sindhuri
1967
India / ICAR-CPRI (1967) · South Asia
Red-skinned long-running variety. Heat-tolerant, popular in Maharashtra.
All-purposeFresh market
Kufri Anand
1999
India / ICAR-CPRI (1999) · South Asia
Mid-season white-skin variety with good storage characteristics.
All-purposeFresh market
Shangi
Kenya / CIP-derived · Africa
Dominant Kenyan variety (50-80% market share). Short dormancy enables continuous cropping.
All-purposeFresh marketFrying / Fries
Sherekea
Kenya · Africa
Mid-altitude Kenyan variety. KALRO-promoted as part of Shangi diversification effort.
All-purposeFresh market
Asante
Kenya · Africa
Yellow-fleshed variety adapted to Kenyan highlands.
All-purposeBoiling / Salad
Wanjiku
Kenya · Africa
CIP-developed variety widely grown in Meru and Nyandarua counties.
All-purpose
Papa Amarilla
Peru (native, ancient) · Andean / Native
Yellow-fleshed Andean landrace. Diploid, fast-cooking — prized in Peruvian cuisine for causa.
Boiling / SaladSpecialty
Papa Negra
Peru / Bolivia (native) · Andean / Native
Black-purple skinned Andean landrace. Anthocyanin-rich. Traditional Andean cuisine.
SpecialtyBoiling / Salad
Tunta / Chuño
Bolivia / Peru (4,000+ years) · Andean / Native
Bitter Solanum juzepczukii / curtilobum, freeze-dried into chuño — the world's first preserved food.
SpecialtyProcessing / Industrial
Phureja
Andes (S. tuberosum group Phureja) · Andean / Native
Diploid Andean group, no dormancy, fast-cooking. The genetic backbone for many CIP releases.
Boiling / SaladSpecialty
Criolla
Colombia (native) · Andean / Native
Small yellow-fleshed Colombian highland variety. National cuisine staple.
Boiling / SaladSpecialty
UNICA
2002
Peru / CIP (2002) · Andean / Native
Heat- and drought-tolerant. Released in Peru, now grown commercially in 13+ Chinese provinces as Qingshu 9.
All-purposeFrying / Fries
Purple Majesty
2006
USA / Colorado State (2006) · Specialty / Heritage
Anthocyanin-rich purple-fleshed variety. High antioxidant content.
SpecialtyBoiling / Salad
Adirondack Blue
2003
USA / Cornell (2003) · Specialty / Heritage
Blue-fleshed variety. Higher anthocyanin density than Purple Majesty.
SpecialtyBoiling / Salad
Russian Banana
Baltic / Russia (heritage) · Specialty / Heritage
Yellow fingerling heritage variety. Buttery, holds shape — favourite for roasted-fingerling dishes.
Boiling / SaladSpecialty
French Fingerling
France (heritage) · Specialty / Heritage
Pink-skinned, yellow-flesh fingerling. Exceptional flavour, premium farmers'-market variety.
Boiling / SaladSpecialty
Pink Fir Apple
United Kingdom (heritage, 1850s) · Specialty / Heritage
Knobby pink-skinned salad variety. Distinct nutty flavour. UK heritage favourite.
Boiling / SaladSpecialty
Vitelotte
France (heritage) · Specialty / Heritage
Deep purple flesh, also called 'Truffe de Chine'. Used in haute cuisine purple purées.
SpecialtyBoiling / Salad
La Ratte
France (1870s) · Specialty / Heritage
Premium French fingerling. Buttery flavour — Joël Robuchon's signature for purée.
Boiling / SaladSpecialty
Sayaka
Japan · East Asia & Pacific
Japanese fry variety. Used by McDonald's Japan during domestic-supply windows.
Frying / FriesProcessing / Industrial
Hokkai 51
Japan · East Asia & Pacific
Hokkaido-bred chip variety. Backbone of Japanese chip supply (Calbee, Koikeya).
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Toyoshiro
Japan · East Asia & Pacific
Long-running Japanese chip variety from Hokkaido. White flesh, low sugars.
ChipsProcessing / Industrial
Go deeper

Featured variety deep-dives

North America
Russet Burbank
The 1872 variety behind McDonald's fries, J.R. Simplot, and the $4.6B US frozen-fry industry.
South Asia
Kufri varieties (India)
75+ Kufri cultivars from ICAR-CPRI Shimla — Pukhraj, Jyoti, Chipsona, Frysona, Tejas.
Reference
Complete varieties guide
Floury vs waxy, GI ranges, breeding programmes, and how to pick the right variety for the job.
History
The 8,000-year Andean journey
Where every potato variety descends from — and why CIP's Lima genebank holds the world's genetic insurance policy.
Sources: CIP, FAO, ICAR-CPRI, AHDB Potatoes, USDA, NL NAK, breeder release archives