Heath potatoes - Germany's most popular potato (EU protected)
40% of all potatoes in Germany come from Lueneburg Heath.
Everyone loves the "terrific tuber": in fact, Germany consumes more than 60 kg of potatoes per person and year. That includes the many variations of potato products such as chips, crisps and dumplings.
Germany’s farmers alone pluck round 11 million tonnes of potatoes from the earth each year. Nearly every other potato comes from Lower Saxony.
The "Lueneburg Heath” potato is world-famous and very popular throughout Germany. It is healthy and contains a lot of potassium, vitamins and protein.
Cultivating potatoes is an old tradition on Lueneburg Heath. The region became the largest potato-growing area in Germany back in the middle of the 19th century.
“Heath potatoes” have a supra-regional significance as an “especially tasty regional speciality”. Heath potatoes grow especially well on Lueneburg Heath because of the sandy earth.
The EU Commission added the heath potato to the list of geographically protected foodstuffs on 4 August 2010 so that consumers can rest assured they have purchased the best quality potato.
Only producers in the Lueneburg Heath region are permitted to use the designation “Lueneburg Heath Potatoes”.
The list of around 900 products also includes Black Forest ham, Swabian ravioli, Cologne beer (Koelsch), Luebeck marzipan and Nuremberg gingerbread.
Many holidaymakers take a couple of sacks of “heath potatoes” with them when they go home. You will soon be able to find heath potatoes in your local supermarket and enjoy them while recalling your holiday on Lueneburg Heath thanks to the protection granted by the EU.