How can you be sure that you are buying yams, not sweet potatoes?!


Question: How can you be sure that you are buying yams, not sweet potatoes!?
It would be great to have some definitive way to tell the difference between the two!.Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Yams look more like tubers and tends to be long and less round!. where as a sweet potato more closely resembles a regular potato in shape !.
Sweet potatoes and yams are not related to one another!.and both are available in the states!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Sweet potato and yams as they are called in America, are not different in the sense that they are sweet potatoes!. (The ones with the orange skin and the tops and bottom tappers into points) They have different texture and taste!. The light colored one is less sweet and the darker one is sweeter!. A yam on the other hand is brown and its like a drier texture of a potato!. It is more rounded and grow in tropical weather!. But if you are wanting to know which on to get, say if you are making candied yams go for the darker and bigger ones!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Well, yams are usually only available in South America, Asia and Africa!.

http://www!.loc!.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/!.!.!.

Unless you know some exotic, imported food section, everything you see in stores here are all sweet potatoes!. They are often label yams, but that is a misnomer probably started by American slaves!.



*****EDIT*************

Genral Patton's wife is wrong about this one-- that's a common misnomer as well!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Usually considered one and the same!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.here in US
BUT
there are different varieties in the markets, the light orange skinned one are not as sweet as the more burgandy orange skinned ones!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.I know I always look for the burgandy orange one they are far superior in flavor, and sweetness, even though they are usually in the same bin and mixed up you just have to pick through themWww@FoodAQ@Com

When sold in the U!.S!., yams are just another name for sweet potatoes!. Some specialty markets will have true yams, but they are nothing like sweet potatoes!. They are a huge, starchy root, usually sold in chunks!. They can grow up to 150 lbs!.

This is the source of a lot of confusion, but it's just a naming thing!. Here's more info: http://www!.foodreference!.com/html/art-sw!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

From what I have read, almost all potatoes sold as yams in the United States are actually sweet potatoes!. Yams are more common in Africa and little are exported to the US!.

Here is an interesting write up on sweet potatoes!.

http://plantanswers!.tamu!.edu/vegetables/!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

there are sites that can tell you the difference between the two, but it still is kinda confusing!. from what i've been told, a yam is white in color and are bigger!.!.and a sweet potato is smaller and are orange in color!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Same things - different names!.

Generation and packaging thing I think!.

Yams are typically the uncooked and Sweet Potatoes the cooked version of this root vegetable!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

my wife, who knows everything, says yams are orange, sweet potatoes are pale yellow!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

In the US they're the same thing!. At any rate, a yam and a sweet potato would taste about the same, so why does it matter!?Www@FoodAQ@Com

sweet potataoes are orangeWww@FoodAQ@Com

Yams are sweet potatoesWww@FoodAQ@Com





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