I Yam what I Yam

     I've always been confused when I go to the market as to the difference between sweet potatoes and yams.  Are they one and the same, with two different names for the same thing?  One time a queried a produce employee if there was any difference and was assured that they were really the same root vegetable.

     Nothing could be further from the truth!  While they are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically.  Yams are of the dioscoreaceae family, as are lilies and grasses.  Sweet potatoes are of the family convolvulacea, like the morning glory.  Yams are monocots and sweet potatoes are dicots.

     What we see in the produce aisle is most likely a variety of sweet potato.  They are native to South America and have a wide range of flesh colors that can be white, yellow, orange or even a shade of red.  Their skin can be golden or copper colored.  Sweet potatoes are popular in the southern US and are not as sweet as a yam.

 

     Yams on the other hand are native to Africa and their name is derived from an African word meaning "to eat."  There are over 600 varieties,  95% of which are grown in Africa.  They can very in size from a small potato to over 130 pounds and 7 feet long.  While containing more sugar they tend to be starchier and drier with a dark bark like skin and a white, purple or reddish flesh.

     To learn more about the distinction between these two root vegetables, click on the highlighted webpage.

     Here's a great sweet potato recipe to try:

SPICED SWEET POTATO FRIES

 

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp each: chili powder & black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

 

     Preheat oven to 450F.  Line 2 baking sheets with foil.  Toss sweet potatoes with oil and spices.  Arrange potatoes on prepared baking sheets in a single layer and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Turn potatoes over and rotate pan; bake until crispy, 10-15 minutes more.

 

Recipe courtesy of Cuisine at home, Issue #92, April 2012, p. 17.