Chiara Potato Supplier

Quick Overview

Chiara is a versatile, yellow-fleshed potato variety prized for its balanced starch content and excellent cooking qualities. Developed as an all-purpose potato, it offers a perfect middle ground between waxy and floury textures, making it adaptable to various culinary applications. The tubers feature an attractive oval shape with smooth, yellow skin and bright yellow flesh that retains its color after cooking. This variety is particularly popular in Central and Eastern Europe, where it’s valued for both home cooking and commercial food production. Chiara’s reliable yields, disease resistance, and consistent performance make it a favorite among farmers and chefs alike.

Origin & History

The Chiara variety was developed in Germany in the late 1990s through careful cross-breeding of established European potato cultivars. It was specifically created to combine the best qualities of table and processing potatoes, resulting in its remarkable versatility. The variety gained quick acceptance in European markets due to its adaptability to different growing conditions and soil types. Over the past two decades, Chiara has become particularly dominant in Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary, where it’s considered a standard for quality table potatoes. Its name, meaning “clear” or “bright” in Italian, reflects its clean appearance and reliable performance in the field and kitchen.

Specifications

Chiara potatoes typically contain a moderate starch content of 13-16%, placing them between waxy and floury varieties in texture. The tubers are medium to large in size, averaging 120-180 grams, with a uniform oval shape that makes them ideal for mechanical processing and packaging. The skin is smooth and yellow with shallow eyes, while the flesh maintains a vibrant yellow hue even after cooking. This variety has a growing season of approximately 90-110 days, making it a mid-season potato suitable for various climates. Chiara demonstrates good resistance to common potato diseases, including moderate resistance to late blight and strong resistance to potato virus Y.

Key Characteristics

1. Balanced Texture: The medium starch content provides a perfect compromise between firmness and fluffiness, adapting well to different cooking methods.
2. Excellent Flavor: Chiara offers a mild, slightly buttery taste that enhances dishes without overpowering other ingredients.
3. Visual Appeal: The bright yellow flesh and smooth skin make it attractive for both fresh market sales and processed products.
4. Cooking Versatility: Maintains its shape well when boiled yet becomes tender when baked, offering rare dual-purpose qualities.
5. Agronomic Reliability: Shows consistent yields across different soil types and demonstrates good drought tolerance compared to similar varieties.

Best Uses

Chiara is truly an all-around table potato, excelling in virtually every culinary application except perhaps for specialty potato chips. Its balanced starch content makes it perfect for boiling (maintaining firmness in salads), baking (achieving a fluffy interior), and roasting (developing a crispy exterior). While not ideal for industrial chip production due to its moderate starch levels, it produces excellent home-style fried potatoes and wedges. Many professional kitchens prefer Chiara for mashed potatoes as it provides a smooth texture without becoming gluey. The variety can be used in soups and stews where it holds its shape while contributing to a creamy broth consistency, making it one of the most versatile culinary potatoes available.