However, sweet potatoes are a very distinctive-looking tuber. Cooking and preparation methods can cause a food’s GI to vary. They have bumpy, tough brown skin (that looks almost tree trunk-like) with starchy, not sweet flesh. They often look identical, but I've found that "yams" can be as low as 79 cents per pound, while "sweet potatoes" cost $2.49 per pound. This article explains the key differences between sweet potatoes and yams. However, both are from the same botanical family. As a staple on the Thanksgiving table, it’s most often served as a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows or sugar or made into a sweet potato pie. The North Carolina-grown Stokes varietal are the most popular (with a sweet chestnut flavor), but you can sometimes find Hawaiian Okinawan potatoes with purple-speckled flesh that are best boiled whole. Copyright © 2017 by Mary-Frances Heck. This article reviews whether mayo is safe when…, Fish sauce is a popular ingredient in many dishes, but if you're out or don't like the taste, there are plenty of alternatives. These are naturally occurring substances that are usually harmless. Types of Sweet Potatoes. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. Mayo is a popular condiment for sandwiches and often used as a base for salad dressings and sauces. Sweet Potatoes and Yams might be some of the most commonly confused root vegetables of all time. White potato nutrition. Sweet potatoes are also rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids, which are thought to help protect against heart disease and decrease the risk of cancer (11, 12). While both are underground tuber vegetables, they are actually very different. The many varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are members of the morning glory family, Convolvulacea. To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. You can buy them in a wide range of different forms, most often whole or sometimes pre-peeled, cooked and sold in cans or frozen. Sweet potatoes, also known by the scientific name Ipomoea batatas, are starchy root vegetables. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are less sweet and much more starchy and dry. Your best chances of finding them are in international or ethnic food stores. ++++ A few years back, some nutrition enthusiasts decided to figure out whether white or sweet potatoes were “healthier”. One of Heck's favorite ways to eat them is topped with sambal butter. "Most of the so-called yams you see in American grocery stores are actually orange-fleshed sweet potatoes," explains Mary-Frances Heck, author of new cookbook Sweet Potatoes (and former BA staffer). A food has a low GI if it causes blood sugars to rise slowly, whereas a high GI food causes blood sugars to rise quickly. Can You Treat Psoriasis with Detoxes or Cleanses? You may have heard a lot about cleanses or detoxes for psoriasis, but you may wonder whether these methods are effective or safe. Yams can be bought in a number of forms, including whole, powder or flour and as a supplement. The skin can be white, yellow, red, purple or brown, and the flesh can be white, yellow, orange or purple. Originating in Louisiana, this type of sweet potato matures slowly, taking up to 125 days to be ready to harvest. You can either make your own sambal paste with chiles, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime zest, and salt, or just mix 1 Tsbp. Diane sweet potatoes are one of the varieties that is often confused with yams. White Delight. Here’s how these tubers compare — and why both deserve a place in your diet. Sweet potatoes are a great source of highly available beta-carotene, which has the ability to increase your vitamin A levels. These ones are served with ricotta and scallions. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. In addition, the darker-skinned, orange-fleshed sweet potato variety was only introduced to the US several decades ago. It is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. A raw sweet potato contains water (77%), carbohydrates (20.1%), protein (1.6%), fiber (3%) and almost no fat (4). Peeling and cooking yams thoroughly will remove any harmful substances (19). These are simply plants that have edible portions underground. It can also be puréed and used in soups and desserts. The white sweet potato has a slightly more crumbly and dry texture than an orange sweet potato, as well as a flavor that's slightly less sweet. This article reviews all you need to…, Despite the popularity of pairing bananas with milk, many believe that this combination may not quite be a match made in heaven. The skin color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown. Poke approximately 2 lbs sweet potatoes with a fork in multiple spots and microwave on high for 5 minutes. She notes there will be "subtle differences in flavor, sweetness, and moisture" between Beauregard (brown skin, more deeply sweet, grown in Louisiana), Garnet (red skin, more like pumpkin flavor), and Jewel (coppery-orange skin, mildly sweet and earthy, California-grown). This article reviews whether eating raw rice…. Standard white potatoes' flavor would be obliterated by a heavy seasoning from Spanish paprika, black pepper, and garlic, but it works perfectly as a bacon-ish flavor in her Cobb salad recipe (pictured above) or with cumin and coriander for tacos. However, in the United States, there are two main varieties of sweet potato: One has a golden skin with creamy white flesh and a crumbly texture. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of baked sweet potato with the skin on contains (4): A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of boiled or baked yam contains (5): Sweet potatoes tend to have slightly fewer calories per serving than yams. Cooking advice that works. Their scientific name is Dioscorea, and they originate in Africa and Asia. However, when they accumulate in the body, they can cause problems for people at risk of kidney stones (18). You might still find "yam" and "sweet potato" used interchangeably or in tandem. Yam flour is available in the West from grocers specializing in African products. These nutrients are important for good bone health, proper functioning of the heart, growth and metabolism (6, 7). Because yams are typically only sold in specialty stores, you probably won't find real yams in your everyday grocery store. If stored correctly in a cool, dry place, they can keep for up to 2–3 months. Well, we looked into it and here’s some info we came across. It can also be used similarly to instant mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes tend to be more readily available and are nutritionally superior to yams — albeit only slightly. These are the sweet potatoes that you roast for meal prep, use for Thanksgiving sweet potato pie or marshmallow-topped mashed potatoes, and snack on as fries and chips. Restaurant recommendations you trust. Reprinted from Sweet Potatoes. Although sweet potatoes and yams are considered healthy and safe foods to consume for most people, it may be wise to follow certain precautions. Boiling, rather than baking, frying or roasting, is linked to a lower GI (9). Meanwhile, the health benefits of yams have not been extensively studied. This article explains whether you can safely microwave…, The glycemic index (GI) is a value used to measure how much a specific food increases your blood sugar levels. They belong to different plant families and are only distantly related. Sweet potatoes likely originated in Central or South America, but the ones we eat most are U.S.-grown. Wild yam powder can be found in some health food and supplement stores under various names. Yams have a unique taste, too. Bon Appétit may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Surprisingly, sweet potatoes are only remotely related to potatoes. Sweet potatoes originated in North America, first joining market shelves alongside the white potato as far back as the late 1600s. Sweet potatoes are tapered and prolonged vegetables, covered with smooth skin, which color varies from beige, yellow, orange to red, purple or brown. Sweet potatoes and yams are both tuber vegetables, but they're actually quite different. In order to set it apart from paler-skinned sweet potatoes, producers labeled them “yams.”. So, what's the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? Naturally occurring plant proteins found in yams can be toxic and cause illness if consumed raw. This article takes a look at the…, Though rice is conventionally cooked before consumption, some people wonder whether you can eat rice raw. The white sweet potato is a great middle ground between an orange sweet potato and your favorite russet. Both sweet potatoes and yams are very versatile. So, what’s the deal? Sweet Potatoes. Yams are more easily compared to the texture and flavor of white russet potatoes (with more fiber and complex carbs) and are best boiled and served alongside hearty braised meats. Heck argues that sweet potatoes should be your new vegetarian meat replacement because they "can carry spices in a way that other vegetables can't." There are two main types of sweet potatoes: Compared to golden-skinned sweet potatoes, these are softer and sweeter with a darker, copper-brown skin and bright orange flesh. Sweet potatoes vs. potatoes: A nutritional debate fueled by misinformation, baseless ‘superfood’ obsessions, and carbohydrate phobias. It’s important to remember that this was a small study, and more evidence is needed to confirm these health benefits. These include wild Mexican yam, colic root or Chinese yam. They are imported and rarely found in local grocery stores. In fact, one 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of sweet potato will supply you with almost all of your daily recommended amount of vitamin A, which is important for normal vision and the immune system (4). This can be very important in developing countries where vitamin A deficiency is common (10). Treat white sweet potatoes like russets and fry 'em. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams can grow very large. 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