Purple potato refers to potato varieties (Solanum tuberosum) with skin and flesh colored deep violet by anthocyanin pigments, rather than the tan or yellow of common potatoes. The name is often used loosely alongside ‘blue potato,’ though cultivars vary in exact hue and are not all identical. Purple potatoes are native to the Andes region of South America and remain widely grown there, notably in Peru and Bolivia. They have a firm, waxy texture that holds its shape when cooked, and an earthy, slightly nutty flavor, which makes them well suited to boiling, roasting, mashing, and potato salads where color and shape retention matter. In Peruvian cuisine they appear in dishes such as causa (a layered potato dish) and papas a la huancaína.