Think you know all there is about North Carolina sweetpotatoes? Test your knowledge with interesting facts below.
Yam I Am … Not
The sweet, orange-colored root vegetable that is often thought of as a yam in the U.S. is actually a sweetpotato. All so-called yams are sweetpotatoes. Some people think that long, red-skinned ones are yams, but they really are just one of many varieties of sweetpotatoes.
A true yam is a starchy edible tuber that is generally imported from the Caribbean. It differs greatly from the sweetpotato in taste, texture, appearance and family.
See more: Cozy Recipes Featuring Sweetpotatoes
Depending on the variety, sweetpotato flesh can vary from white to orange and even purple. The orange-fleshed variety was introduced to the U.S. 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.”
Even though the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires them to always be labeled “sweetpotato,” many people still think of sweetpotatoes as yams regardless of their true identity.
– Linda L. Leake
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I love sweet potatoes/yams, but for the past couple of years the potatoes I’ve been buying are aweful. They are watery when cooked, not very sweet, have light streaks in them which dry out, and just don’t taste very good. I used to bake them and eat right from the pan, but no longer. Many of my friends who bake say that they experience the same thing. What’s happened to one of my favorite vegetables?
[…] Sweet potatoes are usually orange but can also be white or purple. […]
[…] a yam 😉 If you’d like to find out more about sweet potatoes, you can learn more about them here and […]
[…] a yam 😉 If you’d like to find out more about sweet potatoes, you can learn more about them here and […]