Which is it? You are not alone if you can't tell them apart. The confusion began in the 1930's when Southern growers started using the term yam to differentiate their crop from the ones in the North. They selected the incorrect term though because sweet potatoes and yams are not related. Sweet potatoes come from the morning glory family. Yams have a plant family all of their own. Sweet potatoes have a moist flesh that tastes sweet and contains high amounts of beta carotene or Vitamin A. Yams have a dry flesh that tastes starchy, with practically no beta carotene content. Sweet potatoes have smooth, thin skins. Yams are rough and scaly. Sweet potatoes have a growing season that ranges from 90-150 days. Yams grow year-around. True yams are not actually grown in the US they are imported from tropical areas of the world. More on Sweet Potatoes -vs- Yams on Monday. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~Friday, October 1, 2010
Sweet Potatoes -vs- Yams
Which is it? You are not alone if you can't tell them apart. The confusion began in the 1930's when Southern growers started using the term yam to differentiate their crop from the ones in the North. They selected the incorrect term though because sweet potatoes and yams are not related. Sweet potatoes come from the morning glory family. Yams have a plant family all of their own. Sweet potatoes have a moist flesh that tastes sweet and contains high amounts of beta carotene or Vitamin A. Yams have a dry flesh that tastes starchy, with practically no beta carotene content. Sweet potatoes have smooth, thin skins. Yams are rough and scaly. Sweet potatoes have a growing season that ranges from 90-150 days. Yams grow year-around. True yams are not actually grown in the US they are imported from tropical areas of the world. More on Sweet Potatoes -vs- Yams on Monday. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~
