Sweet Potato and Yam Buyer's Guide

By Hklbrries

Confused about the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? When asked about the difference between a sweet potato and a yam, people will usually answer the yam is that orange or deep red potato we bake or roast for Thanksgiving. What we call yams are really just a variety of sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes is the fundamental phrase used to group all varieites of sweets and American yams that are grown in the United States.

Sweets are what we call all sweet potato varieties that have a white or cream colored flesh. These varieties of sweet potatoes have a red, light cream or light brown skin color, but the inside will always be a light cream color.

American yams are what we call all sweet potato varieties that have an orange flesh. These varieties of sweet potatoes have an orange or red skin color, but the inside will always be an orange color.

African yams, also called true yams, however, are nothing like the American yam, but are a tuber native to Africa. This type of yam is very starchy, not very sweet, low in beta carotene and can grow as large as 100 pounds.

So where did the confusion come from? Several decades ago orange fleshed sweet potatoes were introduced to eastern and southern states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana; they adopted the name yams for the darker-skinned orange flesh varieities and made them an important part of their cuisine. Producers and shippers wanted to distinguish them frmo the white or cream color flesh varieties that were common during that time in history, so they called them yams.

History Facts for American sweet potatoes:
1. Sweet potatoes were actually born in Mexico, Central, and South America, as well as the West Indies. Their botanical name, Ipomoea batata, was derived from the American Indians of Louisiana who were growing them in native gardens as early as 1540. The Indians referred to sweet potatoes as "batatas." (http://www.towson.edu/osman/foodppt/sweetpotatoes[1].ppt_harriet.ppt)

2. In his first voyage to the West Indies, Columbus discovered many new foods which he brought back to Spain. Sweet potatoes were among his ship's treasures. The Spanish relished them and began cultivating them immediately. Soon they were profitably exporting them to England where they were included in spice pies to be devoured at the court of Henry VIII (http://www.articletrader.cm/view/printview-123693.html)

3. "Yams" were so important in the South that during the American Revolution and the Civil War, they were said to have sustained the fighting soldiers. (http://lifeplusvitamins.com/potato-vegetables-nutrition.html)

Ingredients

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Details

Adapted from avthomasproduce.com

Preparation

Step 1

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