Tip of the Day - Sweet Potato or Yam?

by Sarah LeTrent, Posted Oct 9th 2009 @ 9:00AM

As fall gets underway, do you know the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? The subject of much confusion, the orange-colored tuber that is often referred to as a "yam" is in fact, a sweet potato.

Photo: Rachel Been, AOL.

In most grocery stores and markets in the U.S., the term "yam" is typically and erroneously used to describe the orange-colored sweet potato.

Real yams are quite root-like in appearance (see below), much larger and have a particularly earthy and starchy taste that's not sweet in the slightest. The true yam is popular in Latin American, Caribbean and African cuisine, so if you're in search of one, X might mark the spot at a specialty ethnic market .

Photo: t-dawg, Flickr.

So next time you ask to pass those candied yams at your next holiday meal -- technically speaking -- you should be asking for candied sweet potatoes instead.

Filed Under: Tip of the Day
Tags: fall, sweet potato, sweet potato or yam, sweet potato versus yam, sweet potatoes, SweetPotato, SweetPotatoes, SweetPotatoOrYam, SweetPotatoVersusYam, tip of the day, TipOfTheDay, tubers, yams

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-09-2009 @1:59PM Stephanie Lanos said... This is so funny! My parents and I were in a conversation at the dinner table, just last week, about this very subject. They were too quick to tell me that I was wrong in saying that sweet potatoes were orange and yams were yellow! They insisted that I had it backwards, case closed! HA! Thank you so much for this article today...I couldn't wait to email it to my mom!
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10-09-2009 @5:41PM FoodieB said... Finally clarification! In this county for the most part a yam is a sweet potato, of which there are many colore ranging from white and pale yellow to orange and deep red. All with sutble nuances of flavor, all great tasting without any sugary topping. Why confine them to the Thanksgiving Table??
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10-11-2009 @3:55PM BB said... I wouldn't be too quick to take the word of this writer over your parents.Do some research and you will find, both are correct, it just depends on to whom you choose to listen .
Every one is a self declared expert now days, they are all over the Internet!
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