Description
The Patatas de Prades PGI are tubers from the Solanum tuberosum L. species belonging to the Kennebec variety.
Production Area
The production area of the Patatas de Prades PGI is located in 4 municipal areas of the Tarragona district, in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.
Production Method
The cultivation is made by means of certified seeds which are sowed in April. Harvesting is handmade in September, in the two weeks after the natural death of the plant. In this way, the maturation level of the tuber is perfect as well as the formation of peel to avoid the lost of quality and to favour the improvement of its resistance to possible shocks, to which the tubers can be subject during packaging. After harvesting, the potatoes undergo the external quality control and the classification depending on size.
Appearance and Flavour
Patatas de Prades PGI have different sizes: in fact, they can go from 40 to 80 mm and, exceptionally, to 100 mm. The peel is smooth and very hard, free from malformations. The flesh is whitish, dense and floury. The taste is sweet with a slight chestnut scent.
History
The first documents confirming the cultivation of Patatas de Prades PGI in the Tarragona district go back to the end of 1800. The cultivation, which is still continuing, has made this tuber important and fundamental for the diet of the local population.
Gastronomy
The Patatas de Prades PGI are stored in a fresh, ventilated and half-light room, avoiding both dim-out and full light as they could germinate. Potatoes can be roasted, boiled and fried. Thanks to their high content of starch, a double amount compared with the other potatoes, and to their compactness, they can be cooked in different ways keeping unaltered their characteristic good taste. Moreover, they can be used to prepare side dishes, in fact, they are exquisite combined with meat or fish dishes.
Marketing
The product is sold as Patatas de Prades PGI. The product is packed in paper bags, which enable them to breathe, with a weight of 2 or 5 kg.
Distinctive Features
The Patatas de Prades PGI have a consistency and a percentage of dry matter higher than all the other types of potato. These features are due above all to the peculiarities of the very fertile and sandy soils with a slightly acid pH and to the cold climate influenced by the humid winds coming from the sea.
