when you think "sweet potato" ... what comes to mind?

[PlaxMacaws]

When I go to the produce section, I typically find two similarly shaped tuberous root items in separate bins. One bin is labeled "sweet potatoes". It contains tubers with a platinum-golden skin and whitish or yellowish flesh. The other bin is labeled "yams". It contains tubers of approximately the same shape and size as the ones in the other bin, but with the difference that they possess a darker skin and an orangish flesh.

So are the tubers labeled "yams" actually sweet potatoes? And if so, what does this mean about the whitish-fleshed tubers that are in fact labeled as "sweet potatoes"? Actually my quick research indicates that these two varieties of tubers are both technically "sweet potatoes". Apparently genuine "yams" are something that we don't see a great deal of at our markets within the United States.

Here's one definition of "yams" (from [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]):


Yams (family Dioscoreaceae) are native to Africa and Asia and other tropical regions. Yams are starchy tubers that have an almost black bark-like skin and white, purple or reddish flesh and come in many varieties. The tubers can be as small as regular potatoes or grow upwards of five feet long.

The word yam comes from an African word, which means "to eat." The yam holds great importance as a foodstuff because it keeps for a long time in storage and is very valuable during the wet season, when food is scarce. For eating, yams are typically peeled, boiled and mashed or dried and ground into a powder that can be cooked into a porridge. Yams can be found in international markets, such as those that specialize in Caribbean foods.It seems that the USDA decided to designate sweet potatoes of the darker skin and orangish flesh variety as "yams" for some reason - despite that they are not yams by strict definition. When we have "yams" on Thanksgiving, we are more than likely eating the orangish sweet potatoes, and not genuine yams. And in certain regions of the US, only the orangish sweet potatoes seem to be available. Interestingly in this case they are often correctly labeled as "sweet potatoes". I'm unsure why the whitish/yellowish sweet potatoes seem a bit scarce (to nonexistent) in some areas.

You can read more about sweet potatoes and yams, here (the same page cited above):

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And here's a discussion about the significance of the two flesh colors among consumers trying to make heads or tails of it:

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[froggij]

I usually see them as very similar, I think (and I could be just forgetting because it's been so long since I've had either) that sweet potatoes are also even sweeter than yams? I'm honestly not sure, because you can also have candied yams, but to me it's all a matter of semantics. poe-tay-toe, poe-tah-toe.

[PlaxMacaws]

I usually see them as very similar, I think (and I could be just forgetting because it's been so long since I've had either) that sweet potatoes are also even sweeter than yams? I'm honestly not sure, because you can also have candied yams, but to me it's all a matter of semantics. poe-tay-toe, poe-tah-toe.The thing is, if someone goes to purchase a "sweet potato" in my area and they go by the bin labeling, they will end up with a white/yellowish fleshed tuber that is truly considered to be a sweet potato. But if they go to purchase a "yam", they will end up with an orange fleshed tuber that's technically not a "yam", but a sweet potato as well. That is, it's not a real yam. Information holds that genuine yams have white, purple, or red flesh... not orange flesh. That likely means that "candied yams" are actually made from the orange-fleshed "sweet potatoes". The candied yams that I've encountered have all been orange (I believe). Yes, it involves semantics ... but it also involves confusion ;). If I say I'm feeding "sweet potatoes" to my birds without explaining what those "sweet potatoes" look like, do I mean the white/yellowish ones or the orange ones? And which of those are more nutritious for parrots? The white/yellowish ones taste quite different to me from the orangish ones, and each type has a unique texture. So I'm merely wondering whether one is nutritionally superior to the other for companion birds :)

[froggij]

And this is exactly why they're interchangeable to me. Even the supermarket can't get it right. ;)

[PlaxMacaws]

And this is exactly why they're interchangeable to me. Even the supermarket can't get it right. ;)I wish I could find a nutrient level comparison for the two available types. I would then usually opt for the one boasting nutritional superiority. But alternating the varieties is a good thing, too :D

[Robyn]

I think the real difference in the USA market is that sweet potatoes are more like regular potatoes when cooked only sweet to where as "yams" can tend to be a bit stringy at times and are even sweeter than sweet potatoes and of course there is the color difference. I would assume the "yams" have more nutrion simply based on color as a general rule things that are a beige/white color have little nutrion. Thats why if you look at most obese (excluding health related causes) house holds you will see they have a mostly "beige diet".

[plax]

I think the real difference in the USA market is that sweet potatoes are more like regular potatoes when cooked only sweet to where as "yams" can tend to be a bit stringy at times and are even sweeter than sweet potatoes and of course there is the color difference. I would assume the "yams" have more nutrion simply based on color as a general rule things that are a beige/white color have little nutrion. Thats why if you look at most obese (excluding health related causes) house holds you will see they have a mostly "beige diet".Yes. Good points, Robyn. The only other element is that the orange ones technically aren't "yams". They are instead sweet potatoes that we often call yams :)

[Lady]

LOL, all that discussion is interesting to say the least but to answer the original question....

when you think sweet potato what comes to mind.... my answer was...... baked or fried like "fries", who's cooking them and when will they be ready...I'll have some please :).

[2birds]

I've always called them both sweet potatoes. But then, I grew up in a area where there was a lot of spanish people. Maybe that's why. I always give my birds the orange sweet potato, I wonder if yams are even more nutritious. I'm going to have to look it up now.


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Well, it seems as though orange sweet potatoes in general are more nutritious, have a lower glycemic index, and fewer calories, but yams have more potassium.

[plax]

I've always called them both sweet potatoes. But then, I grew up in a area where there was a lot of spanish people. Maybe that's why. I always give my birds the orange sweet potato, I wonder if yams are even more nutritious. I'm going to have to look it up now.

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

Well, it seems as though orange sweet potatoes in general are more nutritious, have a lower glycemic index, and fewer calories, but yams have more potassium.Thanks for the link to the article and for looking it up, Lori. But one thing I notice is that the author seems to be comparing the nutrition of sweet potatoes to true "yams" (i.e., the ones from Africa and various tropical regions that are typically difficult to find at US supermarkets). I don't think she's comparing orange-fleshed sweet potatoes with white/yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes. The implication, though, is still that the sweet potatoes with orange flesh are perhaps more nutritious than the ones with lighter flesh, as has been suggested previously in this thread. At least we can assume that the orangish color indicates higher levels of beta carotene. However, I'd still be interested in some comparative data on orange-fleshed sweet potatoes vs. white/yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes. While I'm fairly certain the orange-fleshed ones are a bit more nutritious... it would be nice to see the nutrient levels of each side by side somewhere.