Protatoes were a kind of food that served as an ingredient for making Protato Namba patties. They were also used as a filling inside dumplings, together with cushnip.
In current Star Wars canon, the first mention of protatos occurred in the 2022 non-canonical video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which was released by TT Games. When playing as Kenobi and R4-P17 during the prequel trilogy story campaign for the film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the player can initially hear the bounty hunter's protato advertisement, although the dialogue can be heard at any time when near the night market of the Uscru District. They made their first appearance in a canonical source in the 2023 video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Protatos have their origins in the Star Wars Legends continuity. They were initially mentioned in the 2002 novel The New Jedi Order: Traitor, which was written by Matthew Stover and served as the thirteenth book in the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series. Later, they were featured in the 2003 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, which was published by Sony Online Entertainment.
Within LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, protatos are described as having a high protein content and being suitable for frying. During the campaign that portrays the events of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, a bounty hunter located on the Core Worlds planet Coruscant promotes the protatos she is selling at a night market in the Uscru District of the planet. The vendor highlights the high protein levels and assures potential customers that they will be delicious when fried. Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his astromech droid R4-P17 overhear her advertising of protatos while they are in the area pursuing the bounty hunter Zam Wesell.