The potato has spread around the world during the past 400 years and adapted to a wide variety of environments and an equally diverse range of human tastes and preferences. In some tropical developing countries, it is a common vegetable, while elsewhere, consumption ranges from 1 kg to more than 100 kg per person annually. To some, the potato is the ‘bread of life’, while to others it is taboo. This chapter addresses the great diversity in potato consumption patterns. It discusses important issues concerning the potato's role in developing countries and its potential for the future.

There is a growing realization amongst food planners that ‘programmes aimed at increasing the production of food, even if they are successful, must be accompanied by efforts designed to affect the distribution of incomes and patterns of diet’ (Berg, 1981). The potential for increasing consumption of a food item is largely determined by the extent to which its role in the diet can be altered according to changes in supply or cost. Hence, it is essential to consider not only the production, storage and marketing of the potato, but also consumption behaviour.

This chapter was written with the following questions in mind:

1. How much potato is currently consumed in the tropics and by whom?

2. How are potatoes consumed and what factors regulate potato preferences and consumption patterns?

3. What is the potential for greater potato utilization?

It is hoped that the answers suggested below will stimulate other researchers to probe more deeply into the complexities governing potato consumption in developing countries.