Linda, Laura and Sieglinde are among the best-known potato varieties. But even seemingly unusual names such as Blue Swede and Bamberger Hörnchen hide delicious potatoes. Have you ever heard of granola?
Which types of potatoes should you know?
Common potato varieties are Sieglinde, Linda and Laura, which are used waxy to predominantly waxy. Floury varieties such as Adretta, Freya and Augusta are suitable for purees, soups and potato pancakes. Exotic varieties such as Blauer Swede and Vitelotte offer a variety of tastes.
Granola is a medium-early, predominantly waxy potato with yellow flesh. It was named Potato of the Year 2014.
Potato variety
With over 5,000 types of potatoes, choosing is not easy. There are potatoes with red and yellow skins, sometimes elongated, sometimes round or oval. The blue potatoes seem really exotic, like the Blue Swede.
The variety of tastes in potatoes is even greater. Here you can choose between delicately spicy or strongly spicy, bacony, nutty, sweet, creamy, buttery and even with a hint of marzipan.
The types of cooks
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 cooking types: waxy, predominantly waxy and floury potatoes.
Way-cooking 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 are among the predominantly waxy potatoes. Their shells crack easily when cooked. They are the ideal boiled, boiled and fried potatoes.
Floury varieties have a high starch content. They taste dry, their shells burst when cooked and they almost fall apart on their own. They are ideal for mashing and pureeing. Delicious mashed potatoes, soups, dumplings and potato pancakes are prepared 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 and late and very late varieties. Early varieties are harvested from June, mid-early ones from August and late ones until the end of October.
A distinction is also made between table potatoes and commercial potatoes. While some have been on our menu for a long time, starch, alcohol, potato flour and adhesives are obtained from commercial potatoes.
Red, yellow or blue – which potato should it be?
When choosing your type of potato, you should base your choice on taste, usage and shelf life. And when growing, try something new or rediscover one of the old varieties.
The classic 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, boiled and fried potatoes
- Bintje: large, yellow tuber, medium-early, very high-yielding variety, predominantly waxy to floury, mashed potatoes, chips, potato of the year 2012
- Pink pine cones: elongated shape with adhesions, pink skin, yellow flesh, spicy taste, waxy, late variety, salad, boiled, boiled potato, potato of the year 2013
Popular potato varieties
High yields, good storage properties and their aromatic taste made these potatoes the most popular varieties.
- Linda: large, oval, yellow potato, medium early variety, creamy taste, waxy to predominantly waxy
- Laura: round to oval, red skin, yellow flesh, large, creamy, very late variety, predominantly waxy
- 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-colored skin, yellow flesh, medium to early variety, floury, cellaring potato
New potatoes
- Christa: very early variety, round, medium-sized tuber with yellow skin and yellow flesh, finely aromatic, predominantly waxy
- Cilena: yellow potato, waxy, salad and fried potato
- Marabel: yellow, slightly oval potato, mainly waxy
- Rosara: red-skinned, very early potato, predominantly waxy
- Margit: yellow potato, round to oval, medium-sized, fine floury taste
Grandma and Grandpa still know them
Potatoes have been known in Germany since the 17th century and were initially grown as an ornamental plant because of their flowers. The Prussian King Frederick the Great, among others, recognized its benefits. According to his orders, the farmers 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. Most of them have not proven successful in industrial cultivation or because of their susceptibility to disease. They are still grown today by enthusiasts and organic farmers. You can purchase them from other gardeners or over the Internet.
- Afield blessing: late potato, high-yielding, oval, medium to large tuber, yellow-skinned, yellow flesh, predominantly waxy to floury, s alted, pureed and baked potatoes
- Highland Burgundy Red: one of the few varieties with red flesh, round to oval skin, floury, medium late variety, baked and pureed potato
- Bamberger croissants: elongated shape, yellow to pink skin, yellow flesh, strong, slightly nutty in taste, waxy, salad, jacket potato
Try it
- Blue Swede: round to oval, medium to large tubers, dark purple skin, blue fleshwith 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 potato, nutty, bacony taste, jacket, salad, fried, gratin potato
- Mayan Twilight: oblong-oval, yellow-red spotted skin, golden yellow flesh, tastes slightly like marzipan, medium early variety, gourmet potato
Storable potatoes
The medium 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 & Tricks
You can find the “Descriptive Variety List” from the Federal Plant Variety Office at www.bundesorenamt.de. It gives you an overview of the potato varieties approved in Germany, which is currently 210.
