ABASTO.COM�SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2025�83 POTATO South America, specifca- lly Peru, is the birthplace of the potato. Te frst potato harvest in North America was in 1719, in New Hampshire. Figures from PotatoPro reveal that each American eats 115.4 pounds per year. CHILE PEPPER Te chile pepper is another vegetable with Hispanic heritage. Mexico produces more than 3 million tons of green chile peppers, ma- king it the second-largest producer worldwide, accor- ding to fgures from Mexi- co’s Secretariat of Agricul- ture from 2022. According to Statista, 125.34 million Americans consumed chile (canned/ready-to-eat) in 2020. AVOCADO Watching a sporting event and eating guacamole go hand in hand, especially when it comes to American football. According to Sta- tista, over the last decade, avocado consumption in the U.S. has doubled, from 597,000 metric tons in 2010 to 1.47 million in 2023. BEANS Dishes like baked beans and chili beans owe their origin to beans, a food native to Mexico and South America. Per capita consumption of dry beans in the U.S. is 3.3 kg per year, which is equi- valent to a current per ca- pita consumption of 15.75 cups of cooked beans per year, according to the U.S. Dry Bean Council, with f- gures from 2021. YUCA Also known as cassava or manioc, it is a star- chy root vegetable like a potato. Yuca can be pre- pared in various ways, including boiled, fried, or mashed. ABASTO.COM�SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2025�83