What is the most popular vegetable?
Potatoes are among the world's most popular vegetables, grown in more than 150 countries. Tomatoes and onions are also hugely popular, depending on how vegetables are defined.
Potatoes were first domesticated in the Andes of South America about 7,000 to 10,000 years ago and spread worldwide after Spanish explorers brought them to Europe in the 1500s. They are cheap, filling and versatile, eaten boiled, mashed, baked or fried. China and India are the largest producers today.
Tomatoes, botanically fruits but cooked as vegetables, are produced in enormous amounts and used in sauces, salads and soups. Onions are used in cuisines almost everywhere and are one of the most widely grown vegetables. Cabbage, cucumbers and carrots also rank highly.
America's favorite
In the United States, potatoes are the most consumed vegetable, especially as French fries and chips, followed by tomatoes, many of them eaten in sauces and ketchup. Health experts recommend eating a variety of colorful vegetables, including leafy greens, for the best nutrition.
Did You Know?
The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s, caused by a disease that destroyed potato crops, led to about one million deaths and the emigration of a million more people.