The Netherlands
The combination of fertile soil and innovative farming practices helps the Netherlands to achieve world record potato harvests of more than 45 tonnes per hectare. The “aardappel” is one of the most important food crops in the Netherlands, with over 7 million tonnes produced in 2007, using almost a quarter of their arable land.
Around 20% of the Dutch crop is grown to produce seed potatoes and the Netherlands exports 700,000 tonnes of certified seed potatoes to more than 70 countries around the world.
The country is well placed for export and around 70% of its ware potatoes are also sent abroad. But this doesn’t mean the Dutch don’t love their spuds. They still manage to consume a healthy average of 90kg a year.
Here are some of our favourite Dutch-style recipes:
