Difference Between A Sweet Potato and A Yam
Recipe type: Potato Facts Nutrition Information
A lot of people want to know What is the Difference Between A Sweet Potato and a Yam. So I thought I would try and help put some clarity on this matter.
First let me say that there truly is a difference between a sweet potato and a yam.
Sweet Potatoes
We all eat and love sweet potatoes. We have them mashed and baked. We love sweet potato pie and sweet potato casseroles. Sweet potatoes are always on the table during a big holiday celebration.
Yams
What hasn’t been said about yams? We love yams. All types of yams. From the candy or candied yams we have during Thanksgiving to the yams we make at home. Canned yams is something we all grew up eating.
So what is the difference between Sweet Potatoes and Yams?
Plant Family:
Sweet Potato…Morning Glory Yam…Yam
History:
Sweet Potato…Prehistoric Yam…50,000 BC
Appearance:
Sweet Potato…Smooth with thin skin Yam…Rough scaly skin
Shape:
Sweet Potato…Short, blocky, tapered ends Yam…Long Cylindrical
Mouth Feel:
Sweet Potato…Moist Yam…Dry
Taste:
Sweet Potato…Sweet Yam…Starchy
Availability:
Sweet Potato…Grown in USA Yam…Imported from Caribbean
The sweet potato is good for the health. With people growing more interested in health and natural foods, the sweet potato is finding a place in the weekly diet year around. The sweet potato mixes with herbs, spices and flavorings producing delicious side dish recipes of all types. From processed baby foods to the main dishes, potato casseroles, potato salads, breads and desserts, sweet potatoes add valuable, appetizing nutrients and color to any meal.
The sweet potato is a nutritious and economical food. One baked sweet potato (3 1/2 ounce serving) provides over 8,800 IU of vitamin A or about twice the recommended daily allowance, yet it contains only 141 calories making it valuable for people on a diet. This nutritious vegetable provides 42 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, 6 percent of the RDA for calcium, 10 percent of the RDA for iron, and 8 percent of the RDA for thiamine for healthy adults. It is low in sodium and is a good source of fiber and other important vitamins and minerals. A complex carbohydrate food source, it provides beta carotene which may be a factor in reducing the risk of certain cancers.
The best sweet potatoes have a deep orange color.
When buying sweet potatoes at the store, select sound, firm roots. Storage in a dry, unrefrigerated bin kept at 55-60 degrees F. is best. DO NOT REFRIGERATE, because temperatures below 55 degrees F. will chill this tropical vegetable giving it a hard core and an undesirable taste when cooked.
Wash cured sweet potatoes and bake or boil until slightly soft. If boiled, drain immediately. Thoroughly cool the baked or boiled sweet potatoes. Wrap individually (skins left on) in freezer film or foil and place in plastic freezer bags. Seal, label and freeze.
Most sweet potato dishes freeze well. Save time and energy by making a sweet potato dish to serve and one to store in the freezer.
Helpful Hints:
Bake a large pan of sweet potatoes at the same time. This If you would like to save time and energy, bake a large pan of sweet potatoes all at once. You can freeze them for later use or you can store the sweet potatoes in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Canned or frozen sweet potatoes may be substituted for the fresh form in any recipe calling for cooked sweet potatoes as the starting point. Canned sweet potatoes are generally smaller in diameter because of their better canning qualities. Six to eight canned sweet potatoes are approximately the equivalent of four medium fresh sweet potatoes. One can use the measurement relationship below as a guideline.
Fresh Canned Cooked & Mashed
2 medium
sweet potatoes 3 to 4 1 1/4 cups
3 medium 1 pound can 2 cups
4 medium
(23 ounces) 3 quart cans 2 l/2 cups
To reduce calories in your favorite sweet potato recipe, experiment with the recipe by reducing the sugar or fat by using the next lower measure on the measuring cup. For example, when a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar or fat, reduce the amount to 3/4 cup. For 3/4 cup, reduce it to 2/3 cup, and so on.
Sweet potatoes can be baked, boiled, fried, broiled, canned or frozen. They can also be cooked in the microwave oven.
Before cooking sweet potatoes, scrub skin and trim off any bruised or woody portions.
If you are cutting calories, serve a plain sweet potato, cut down on margarine or butter and use skim milk or unsweetened orange juice as liquid when you prepare mashed sweet potatoes.
Remember, it is what you add to the sweet potato that increases calories.
1 small, baked in skin ………………………….141 calories
3 1/2 ounces, candied…………………………..168 calories
3 1/2 ounces, canned, syrup pack………114 calories
A freshly baked or boiled sweet potato is delicious and nutritious. You need only to add a pat of butter or serve it plain. Don’t feel that you must add high-calorie ingredients to make the sweet potato acceptable.
Rub a little fat or oil over clean and dry sweet potatoes of uniform size. Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. until soft, 30 to 50 minutes, depending on size. Sweet potatoes that are greased before baking peel easily.
I hope this clears up the age old question: What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams.
I found these interesting facts out on the Plant Answers website.
[...] common types of potatoes. Another article that we really enjoyed addresses that age old question: What’s The Difference Between A Sweet Potato and A Yam? Potato Patch answers that question. Check out our Featured Recipe Section for a great Mashed [...]
I had a discussion with a friend about the differences of sweet potatoes and yams. My research led me to Alton Browns video on food network with considerable information about the history of the sweet potato and the ‘Southern slang ‘ term that derived from slaves and adopted by Lousiana farmers, “Yams.” According to Alton and his guest nutrional anthropologist Deb Duchon, there is no difference or to say that a sweet potato and a yam are the same. If you have time ,please watch the video titled Sweet potato and yam facts and let me know your insight to what they are saying in the video.
Thanks
steve
Your explanation confused the issue even more.
First you say under ‘Yams’ that we all grew up eating them perpetuating the belief they are what we purchase in any grocery store. But then, in the chart, you correctly describe them as cylindrical with rough scaly skin which is NOT what we find at the store.
What we purchase as either Yams or Sweet Potatoes are in fact sweet potatoes. Both of them, regardless of the color. True Yams are brown, rough and scaly skinned resembling tree bark with white flesh and you would have to go on a dedicated search to find a specialty store that sells them.
Here in the U.S. ‘Yam’ and ‘Sweet Potato’ have just come to mean one is paler, starchy and not really sweet (more potato-like) while the other is darker orange, very soft after cooked and sweeter.
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a rule on which is called which because I’ve seen them both labeled as ‘yams’ at different times. The safest thing to do is choose by color.
Carla….thanks for you comment.