But the sweet potato is a slightly better source of most vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. It is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes are many and you will also learn the similarities of Sweet Potato vs Yam. And, unless you shop in a specialty store, it’s likely that you’ve only purchased sweet potatoes (even if they were labeled as yams).In the US, sweet potatoes are the sweet, orange potato typically found in supermarkets. Apr 4, 2014 - Explore James Callahan's board "Yams VS Sweet Potatoes" on Pinterest. Thanks to your breakdown, I ended up picking the okinawan variety. A sweet potato is also a starchy tuberous crop from South or Central America with smooth orangish, reddish or brownish skin and red or orange flesh. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and easily pierced with a fork. Sweet potato and yam aren't just different names for the same thing: The two produce items belong to their own separate botanical categories. Sweet potatoes originated in North America, first joining market shelves alongside the white potato as far back as the late 1600s. Yam vs. sweet potato On the left is a typical yam sold in the US (actually a variety of sweet potato), and on the right is a sweet potato. There are distinct differences between a yam vs. a sweet potato. Tags: difference between sweet potato yam. Dice, … In Malaysia and Singapore, “yams” refers to taro. Although the soft, orange sweet potato is often called a "yam" in parts of North America, the sweet potato is very distinct from the botanical yam (Dioscorea), which has a cosmopolitan distribution, and belongs to the monocot family Dioscoreaceae.A different crop plant, the oca (Oxalis tuberosa, a species of wood sorrel), is called a "yam" in many parts of Polynesia, including New Zealand. You can learn how to cook yam porridge in the video above. Yams and sweet potatoes are in fact two different root vegetables. Even the diagram visually showing a “sweet potato” and a “yam” is incorrect, in fact you don’t even have a sweet potato in the picture at all! Bottom Line: If its insides are orange and its skin is smooth and coppery, you should always call it a sweet potato. Okinawa’s famous “purple yam” is also a sweet potato, not a real yam. When you see sweet potato on a menu in the U.S., what likely comes to mind is orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, which are starchy and have a thin outer skin just like red potatoes and russets but taste sweeter. When you see sweet potato on a menu in the U.S., what likely comes to mind is orange-fleshed sweet … Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a record 130 pounds (as of 1999). Mostly frustrating. Most likely, all yams and sweet potatoes that you use from the grocery store are sweet potatoes. Popular varieties of soft sweet potatoes are the Jewel Yam and Garnet Yam. See more ideas about yams vs sweet potatoes, yams, potatoes. Sweet Potato vs Yam. The whole yam vs. sweet potato mix-up is both fascinating and frustrating to me. The sweet, rich flavor of a sweet potato won’t work in a dish suited to the relatively bland, dry yam. Yams vs. sweet potatoes. Differences between sweet potato and yam. Actually, I think of the orange-inside kind when I hear “sweet potato”, but I wanted the healthiest potato. The one on the right is a Yam. The characteristics of sweet potatoes and yams are also different. To differentiate the orange sweet potato from the white and yellow ones, it was called a “yam” because it looked similar to the African vegetable. Often North Americans use the words “yam” & “sweet potato” interchangeably. Wrong. Often, the copper skinned sweet potato is referred to as yam, or sweet potato yam, and these are a firmer version of sweet … Actual sweet potatoes have short, smooth skinned roots with tapered ends whereas actual yams are long and cylindrical with rough, scaly skins. The potato on the left is a yuca potato, as you can clearly tell by the darker, rough, skin. Sweet potatoes are tapered and prolonged vegetables, covered with smooth skin, which color varies from beige, yellow, orange to red, purple or brown. The sweet potato most people are familiar with -- the long, copper-skinned, orange-fleshed kind with a tapered end -- is also the most common. But back then, the sweet potato was also white or yellow in color. Sweet potatoes are members of … Share 3 Pin 1 Tweet 2 Send. Sweet potatoes are usually longer and tapered at the ends with smooth colored skin, and can range in color from tan, to yellow, to orange, red, or purple. This explains why we (mistakenly) label one as a sweet potato and one as a yam. What is a yam?. I was in a store in Houston, confused by the sweet potato & yam labeling. Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now. While you can find potato-sized varieties of both, yams are typically larger and can be up to five feet long! The humble potato should be simple, right? Sweet Potato vs Yam. White sweet potato - Also called firm sweet potatoes, white sweet potatoes have light, golden skin and pale flesh. Homemade oven sweet potato fries recipe: Wash sweet potatoes and slice lengthwise into halves, then again into 1-inch wedges. In Louisiana, sweet potato farmers didn’t start cultivating soft sweet potato varieties until the 1930’s. The orange sweet potato was cultivated in the 1930s and it was larger, sweeter, more moist, and fleshier compared to the smaller, yellowish, and drier-fleshed varieties. Conclusion: Although the exact mechanism is not clear, replacing two thirds of staple food with yam for 30 days improves the status of sex hormones, lipids, and antioxidants. A 1/2-cup serving of baked sweet potato has 90 calories, 20 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fiber. The flesh of a yam is typically white and firm, while the flesh of a sweet potato is orange in color. In New Zealand, this coffee is called yam. In that case, a substitution would likely suffice. And if the insides are reddish or purple, you're more certainly in yam territory. They decided to market the new varieties of sweet potatoes as yams in order to distinguish them from the hard varieties, as well as the produce that was brought into Louisiana markets from other states. Yams are rough, scaly, difficult to peel and very low in beta-carotene. It is a member of the Convolvulaceae family, which includes the morning glory flower. Yams and sweet potatoes have differences in both appearance, taste and origin. Yams and sweet potatoes have differences in both appearance, taste and origin. Yam vs. Sweetpotato: A true yam is a starchy edible root of the Dioscorea genus, and is generally imported to America from the Caribbean. The flesh also varies depending on the type from purple to orange or to white. However, a true yam is a starchy, edible tuber, generally with a drier taste than a sweet potato. Yam is different from Potato as yam is bigger and has rough skin . NUTRITIONAL VALUE Rachael points out that yams have a much higher sugar content, while sweet potatoes are the most nutrient dense, per weight, that you can buy in the produce department. Technically, both sweet potatoes and yams come from flowering plants… but they are actually not botanically related! These vegetables both provide key nutrients, but one is a root and the other is a tuber. The Hannah Sweet Potato is one of the most popular white varieties. It is rough and scaly and very low in beta carotene. Sweet potatoes have thin, smooth skin and orange or white flesh. Yams have rough, dark skin with an almost hairy texture, and the flesh inside is often white or purple. Both sweet potato and yam are tuber vegetables. For the control subjects fed with sweet potato, all three hormone parameters measured were not changed after intervention. A superior sweet potato! Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses. For example, Bruce’s brand canned yams, founded in 1928 in Louisiana, include the description “cut sweet potatoes in syrup.” Sweet potatoes generally come from either Central or South America. It differs greatly from the sweetpotato in taste, texture, appearance and family. Of course, in North America, sweet potatoes are often called yams. I was determined to get to the bottom of this. When using the term “yam” on labels for what are actually sweet potatoes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also requires the label to include the phrase “sweet potato,” she said. When African slaves encountered the sweet potato they called it a yam, as it reminded them of the tubers from their homeland. Different parts of the country (and therefore recipes) call them different things. Unlike soft sweet potatoes, this variety remains firm and waxy after cooking. Thank you for the sweet potato & yam info. Yams are the tuberous roots of the genus Dioscorea. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that you’re looking at a sweet potato mislabeled “yam” at your local grocery store. The same serving of yams has 80 calories, 19 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fiber. Sweet potato’s flesh inside also varies from white to … You can distinguish a yam from a sweet potato before you even bite in. Sweet potatoes are often touted as being healthier than white potatoes, but in reality, both types can be highly nutritious. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Yams. Different stores and growers label them different ways. 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