WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SWEETPOTATO AND A YAM?HOW TO STORE SWEETPOTATOESTYPES OF SWEETPOTATOESHOW TO GROW SWEETPOTATOES
What’s in a name? When it comes to the yam, a bit of confusion. The truth is what you’ve been calling a yam is most likely a sweetpotato.
Even more, it’s possible that you’ve never even tasted a yam!
That sweet, orange-colored root vegetable that you love so dearly is actually a sweetpotato.
Yes, all so-called “yams” are in fact sweetpotatoes. Most people think that long, red-skinned sweetpotatoes are yams,
but they really are just one of many varieties of sweetpotatoes. So where did all of the confusion come from?
Let’s break down the main differences between yams and sweetpotatoes!
Yam vs. Sweetpotato:
A true yam is a starchy edible root of the Dioscorea genus, and is generally imported to America from Africa.
It is rough and scaly and very low in beta carotene.
Depending on the variety, sweetpotato flesh can vary from white to orange and even purple.
The orange-fleshed variety was introduced to the United States several decades ago.
In order to distinguish it from the white variety everyone was accustomed to,
producers and shippers chose the English form of the African word “nyami” and labeled them “yams.”
Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweetpotato.’
Despite the label regulations, most people still think of sweetpotatoes as yams regardless of their true identity.
Think you know the differences between yams and sweetpotatoes? Take our quiz and test your root knowledge!
