yams vs. sweet pototos!

aneumany

Yam vs. Sweet potato... is there really that big of a difference between these 2 things?...i realized the other day they were yams i buy not SP, and so i looked and its pretty diff stats.. idk if theyre right, but if anyone knows, please share the info! thanks!

scarletfever2005

"Sweet Potatoes
Popular in the American South, these yellow or orange tubers are elongated with ends that taper to a point and are of two dominant types. The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker-skinned variety (which is most often called "yam" in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture.

Current popular sweet potato varieties include Goldrush, Georgia Red, Centennial, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, and Velvet.
Yams
The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato.

Slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, with over 150 varieties available worldwide.

Generally sweeter than than the sweet potato, this tuber can grow over seven feet in length.

The word yam comes from African words njam, nyami, or djambi, meaning "to eat," and was first recorded in America in 1676.

The yam tuber has a brown or black skin which resembles the bark of a tree and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. They are at home growing in tropical climates, primarily in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content. They are also marketed by their Spanish names, boniato and ñame."

http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/sweetpotatodiff.htm

CrimsonHellkite

a yam is a completely different item than a sweet potato, yams have more sugar and look alot different in their whole state...but look similar when peeled and cooked, yams are higher in sugar and are more moist than sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes are healthier i believe. alot of people call a sweet potato a yam in error cause they look alot similar at first glance
hope this helps some all i know lol

dragonflydi

They are different and I personally prefer orange fleshed "yams" to white fleshed "sweet potatoes". It's a great way to get a little variety in your kitchen

aneumany

ugh! its annoying that alli ever find are yams, idk where to find reg sweet potatos...ive heard that sweet pot are healthier too.. which is wat i was going for..but its annoying me that the yam information in the system basically is sugarless and i track my sugar, i guess im just gonna have to guesstimate!...i have to figure out where i can find reg sweet pot.! thanks guys!

scarletfever2005

Try local farmers markets. But it may be later in the summer before they are available (at least here in Arkansas).

aneumany

Try local farmers markets. But it may be later in the summer before they are available (at least here in Arkansas).

omg u live in arkansas?!?!? shutup?!?! haha where abouts! im coming next week to visit my parents!