A staple in the Andes region since pre-Columbian times, potatoes were discovered by Europeans during the Pizarro-led expeditions of Spanish conquistadores, who brought the crop to the Old World between 1580 and 1585.

Potatoes were introduced in Italy between the late 16th and the early 17th century, by way of Spain and Portugal, thanks to Discalced Carmelite friars. Initially they developed a terrible reputation, as people were eating the leaves and fruits rather than the actual tubers, with negative health effects. But soon enough, due in part to the famines that ravaged Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, potatoes began to take hold in many European countries. Agronomist Antoine Parmentier played a key role in establishing the potato as a respected food source. A French army pharmacist during the Seven Years’ War, he discovered its advantages while a prisoner in Germany, and presented them at a contest organised by the Besançon Academy, dedicated to foods that could help fight poverty and famine. The potato garnered considerable interest for its ability to grow on impoverished soil and for the fact that - unlike bread - it didn’t require a miller or a baker to be consumed, and Parmentier was awarded first prize in the competition. The agronomist continued his promotional work and even obtained the support of king Louis XVI, who, following the famine of 1785, instituted several measures to spread the cultivation of potatoes among peasants. In Italy, potatoes weren’t grown in significant amounts until the end of the 18th century, and they didn’t become an integral part of the country’s agriculture - and diet - until the second half of the 19th century.