Size, color, and freshness: Standards and heritage of native potatoes in Peru

Abstract

Abstract Peru is the center of origin and diversity of more than 3,000 varieties of native potatoes although only a few varieties are typically consumed beyond the Andean region. Drawing on 14 months of ethnographic research, I explore the role of standards of size, quality, and colors as well as documents like invoices in formalizing and mobilizing the potatoes in the market. I argue that these standards and documents together with economic sociability serve as an important strategy to add value to native potatoes from their production in Ayacucho to their distribution in Lima. By keeping the ethnographic eye on the construction and negotiation of those standards, I show the fragility, the risks, the opportunities, and the power relationships that emerge along the native potato chain.