Is a yam the same thing as a Sweet potato?!
Answers:
My father grew up on a farm and says they are the same thingWww@FoodAQ@Com
No they are not the same thing
Yams
Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses!. Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a record 130 pounds (as of 1999)!. There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa!. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier!.
Sweet Potatoes
The many varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are members of the morning glory family, Convolvulacea!. The skin color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown!. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red!. Sweet potato varieties are classified as either ‘firm’ or ‘soft’!. When cooked, those in the ‘firm’ category remain firm, while ‘soft’ varieties become soft and moist!. It is the ‘soft’ varieties that are often labeled as yams in the United States!.
Why the confusion!?
In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties!. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two!. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa!. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties!.
Today the U!.S!. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato!.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!
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Yams
Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses!. Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a record 130 pounds (as of 1999)!. There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa!. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier!.
Sweet Potatoes
The many varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are members of the morning glory family, Convolvulacea!. The skin color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown!. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red!. Sweet potato varieties are classified as either ‘firm’ or ‘soft’!. When cooked, those in the ‘firm’ category remain firm, while ‘soft’ varieties become soft and moist!. It is the ‘soft’ varieties that are often labeled as yams in the United States!.
Why the confusion!?
In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties!. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two!. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa!. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties!.
Today the U!.S!. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato!.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!
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No!. Although a lot of grocery stores, in the United States, will incorrectly call a sweet potato a yam!. Yams are generally sweeter, contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes, and have a higher moisture content!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Actually they are!. You have a white sweet potato and you have the pink or slightly orange sweet potato which is used exclusively for the yam!. The two colors are basically the same flavor but the color is more marketable to the people who buy the Yams!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
botanically they are not the same but traditionally they have been referred to as the same in parts of us and canada!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Yes!.
Yams are sweet potatos that are canned or boxed in syrup or sugar!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Yams are sweet potatos that are canned or boxed in syrup or sugar!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
A Sweet Potato is a Yam; but not all yams are sweet potatoes!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
No, but I don't remember how!?Www@FoodAQ@Com