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In Veneto, potatoes were planted for the first time in the Botanical Garden of Padua – in the XVIII century – but for a long time, they were considered a mere subject of research by scientists and scholars. In 1816, Pier Antonio Zorzi from Venice, carried out some cultivation tests on the island of Giudecca, on behalf of the Austrian government of Venice. The results proved very promising, but at the time, people in the Venetian countryside still preferred cultivating corn for making polenta.

How the actual cultivation of the early potatoes from Chioggia started is, therefore, still unknown, while the first records about these vegetables date back to the late seventies of the last century.

Currently, three varieties are grown in the area: “Bea”, early but delicate, with yellow skin, smooth and thin, light yellow flesh with elongated and regular tubers; “Primiura”, medium early, with yellow skin, medium thickness, smooth or finely wrinkled, yellow flesh and elongated tubers with slightly squat ends; “Liseta”, medium early, it looks like “Bea”, but is less delicate and offers a bigger yield, with light yellow skin, medium thickness, smooth, yellow flesh and ovoidal tubers.

The changing climate and the sandy soils of Chioggia allow the development of potatoes with a regular and harmonious shape. They are sown in February, using certified seeds. For the earliest productions, plastic tunnels are widely used, while the harvest begins in May and reaches its peak in June.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)