I have had potatoes in Denmark, and many other EU countries and their potatoes just taste great. Anyone else have a similar thought?

I can only speculate (that American agricultural producers are more reliant on mass production methods that favor quantity over quality). I'm not going to even go there with the GMO debate. That being said, my wife grew up in France and swears the produce there is a much higher quality. I can't deny that when we visit it does seem to be the case. One example is strawberries. The European ones, while smaller, are generally sweeter and more succulent. She also swears the parsley there is different in taste and quality.

There are so many varieties and preparations of potatoes that this seems tough to determine. Agree that Europe is better about using seasonal ingredients which will always taste better than what we get year-round in grocery stores. I love white asparagus from my time in Germany but I was buying it in season from farmers stands. The crap sold year round here in big stores doesn't compare.

The best potatoes I've ever had were in Peru up in the Andes, which is where the potato likely originated. They came in unique colors and shapes and each one seemed to taste different. I long for them like some long for a past lover.

That said, I think having different variety has something to do with it. There are over 5000 different types of potatoes, yet you go to HEB and will only find Russet, Sweet, Red, and maybe Yukon Gold or Fingerling. I'm sure those are the easiest to mass produce and transport, and are most palatable to the general public.

Farmers markets or home grown would be a better option for finding a better variety or a "better" potato, in general.

5000 types of potatoes? Irish miracle

Anything is better than all those potatoes I ate on Mars.

I can't say that I noticed that with potatoes specifically but I can say that all of the tomatoes I ate while over in Italy were far and away better than anything you can find here in the large grocery stores or most restaurants. As others have said above, it probably has a lot to do with agricultural practices geared towards quality vs quantity.

When I was in Europe, what really blew me away was how much better the cheese was.

Bruce Almighty said:

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When I was in Europe, what really blew me away was how much better the cheese was.

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The smell of cheese shops to Europeans is like the smell of BBQ joints to Texans.

Next Year is the Year said:

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I can't say that I noticed that with potatoes specifically but I can say that all of the tomatoes I ate while over in Italy were far and away better than anything you can find here in the large grocery stores or most restaurants. As others have said above, it probably has a lot to do with agricultural practices geared towards quality vs quantity.

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What time of year were you in Italy?

I live in Europe and can tell you there is some clear seasonality traits in all the produce here and definitely in tomatoes.

Other thing as OP indicated above is there's definitely lower quality stuff here too and 'quality' you experience probably has as much to do with the fact that you are going to HEB and Kroger for your cheese stateside and not artisanal shops and the like.

Big chains with mediocre fresh foods definitely exist here too.

HTownAg98 said:

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Their produce is made to taste good, while ours is made to make a lot of it.

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And ship. A vine ripened tomato doesn't transport and keep well from Florida to Minnesota or California to New York. Potatoes? Could also be soils.

SpiderDude said:

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I can only speculate (that American agricultural producers are more reliant on mass production methods that favor quantity over quality). I'm not going to even go there with the GMO debate. That being said, my wife grew up in France and swears the produce there is a much higher quality. I can't deny that when we visit it does seem to be the case. One example is strawberries. The European ones, while smaller, are generally sweeter and more succulent. She also swears the parsley there is different in taste and quality.

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because they grow it nearby. Most of what you see in US stores was maybe grown in Mexico, but a lot even further south. so "picked fresh" is not really something we get much of in our supermarkets. It makes a difference.

Plus the seeds and varieties are likely different.

I totally get what you're saying about potatoes tasting better in Europe. When I was in Ireland for a couple of weeks, I had mashed potatoes that were seriously next-level. They were buttery and rich but somehow still had that earthy taste, almost like they just pulled them out of the ground that morning.

It's probably because they actually did. Same thing happened to me with carrots and onions over there too, everything tasted fresher and had more depth. It reminds me a bit of when we had to move internationally last year.

We wanted everything handled carefully without getting slammed by hidden fees, so we used this moving cost calculator first step: https://threemovers.com/quote-first-step/moving/. Made planning way smoother without all the stress.

I was going to start a thread on potatoes, so I'm glad someone brought this back up. HEB started carrying bags of gold potatoes from Muleshoe, Tx. They are as good as any potato I had in France. They make the best mashed potatoes and au gratin potatoes.

Potatoes fried in duck fat is so freaking tasty.

HarleySpoon said:

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Tanya 93 said:

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Potatoes fried in duck fat is so freaking tasty.

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Have you ever put butter on a pop tart?

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Yes
Unfrosted apple cinnamon

rgentry84 said:

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I totally get what you're saying about potatoes tasting better in Europe. When I was in Ireland for a couple of weeks, I had mashed potatoes that were seriously next-level. They were buttery and rich but somehow still had that earthy taste, almost like they just pulled them out of the ground that morning. It's probably because they actually did. Same thing happened to me with carrots and onions over there too, everything tasted fresher and had more depth.

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That almost sounds like yukon gold pototoes The carrots have a maturity date that they somewhat need to be pulled at. They could have that down

The onions no way a onion can taste better than onion
Well I could a little bit bit wrong on the onions but not much

Onions in the store some have bolted and so whennyou cut into a onion and find that hard inch in the middle That means they pulled to late because already went to flower

Produce that is grown and/or marketed in/for the USA is developed for its ability to :

1. Produce the highest yield possible
2. Look pretty
3. Travel long distances


Taste is considered in the equation but not as much as the other 3.

American consumer can say they want taste but they shop with their eyes first and buy what looks nice, and they prefer consistency in supply over rotating their choices to reflect seasonality.


Sure feels like Europe does the opposite but honestly that's just probably Americans being on vacation and eating at nice places. I dunno, but I definitely feel like fruits/veggies, dairy, and bread all taste better there than here.

Beef sucks however.

I guess I haven't had the same experience with European potatoes. The Norwegians serve them damn near every meal and I've always found theirs a bit gummy.