Clarification Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes...

SNPiccolo5 · 30-Nov-05, 05:16 PM

This has become a recent annoyance of mine, so I just thought I would clarify this.

Sweet Potatoes and Yams are _not the same thing_!!! Although they might look _sort of_ similiar, they are completely different, botanically and taste-wise. What we all probably eat are sweet potatoes. Yams, on the other hand, are a tropical tuber grown in South America. The reason some people call sweet potatoes yams is because in Louisiana, they wanted to distinguish their sweet potatoes from the rest in the country, so they called them "Louisiana Yams" which was eventually shortened to just "Yam". Yams are much more similiar in taste to actual potatoes, while sweet potatoes are remarkably sweet (hard to figure out, I know... lol!).

I just thought this was interesting.

-Tim

CF-OC_gal · 30-Nov-05, 07:36 PM

(I knew that but it's good to read it again)

Sweet potatos are actually a member of the morning glory plant family !

Here is a clarification chart of their differences: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/p...eetpotato.html

The last time I bought an actual imported yam the thing was dry and moldy tasting.

**threenorns** · 03-Dec-05, 01:03 AM

i don't like yams at all - i find them dry and dusty, too.

carcajou · 08-Dec-05, 01:13 PM

...and also...after they can yams they call them sweet potatoes...why? I don't know. It is stupid. Yams are normally very bright orange in colour (inside) and sweet potatoes are more the colour of a 'normal' potato inside.

Gearloose · 08-Dec-05, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carcajou

...and also...after they can yams they call them sweet potatoes...why? I don't know. It is stupid. Yams are normally very bright orange in colour (inside) and sweet potatoes are more the colour of a 'normal' potato inside.

uuuuh, it's the sweet potatoes that are bright orange inside. I know, because I ate a ton of them growing up. My dad always gardened, and sweet potatoes were a staple because they would keep for months after harvest.

Baked sweet potatoes
mashed sweet potatoes
fried sweet potatoes
candied sweet potatoes
sweet potatoe casserole
sweet potatoe pie.................

the list goes on.

**.V.** · 08-Dec-05, 06:10 PM

Keep 'em coming bubba.

Then finish up with, "...that's about all I know about sweet taters".

Seriously, I've wondered about this myself - not this exactly, but I hear a lot of mention about sweet potatoes on the forum.

When I was growing up we grew sweet taters and regular taters. We grew enough each summer to last the entire year and stored them in a root cellar so they wouldn't rot.

We never bought anything if we ate it we grew it, raised it, or hunted it.

Sorry, back to the topic. Why are sweet potatoes supposed to be better with weight training than regular ones? I never really liked them. But since I don't like rice, potatoes, chicken, fish... so what. I don't like any of my staple bulking foods.

If there is a good reason for them, I'll add them in.

SNPiccolo5 · 08-Dec-05, 07:50 PM

A_welch, sweet potatoes have more fiber, vitamin A, and over-all nutrition value than regular potatoes. I favor regular potatoes, however. I have a potatoe omelet with new red pototoes, eggs, and egg whites that I REALLY like. I can't imagine it with sweet potatoes, though. Regular potatoes, as long as you don't boil/peel them to death, have tons of nutrition by themselves, keeping the skin on. I steam mine with the skin on, and slice them before puting them in my eggs.

Just for the information, sweet potatoes can be both white or orange on the inside. In fact, there are probably more varieties that are yellow/white on the inside than orange. On "Good Eats" they went through lots of the varieties, and I was surprised at the amount that were actually white. Yams, as far as I know, aren't ever orange, but I could be wrong.

-Tim

**.V.** · 09-Dec-05, 09:49 PM

Thanks for the information. So the higher fiber might be a good thing for a cutting diet that is including some starches. Right now I'm choosing the higher carb foods and I don't count fiber into my daily carb intake...although right now with over 200g a day a bit of fiber one way or the other doesn't make that much of a difference.

**threenorns** · 09-Dec-05, 09:53 PM

and the massive amount of vitamin A - don't forget that

SNPiccolo5 · 10-Dec-05, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by threenorns

and the massive amount of vitamin A - don't forget that

For that I eat carrots. 3 ounces, roughly 1 carrot, has about 300 percent of your daily value, and since Vitamin A is fat soluble, that'll carry over for 2 days! For those that really like sweet potatoes, the vitamin A is a plus though, lol!!

Anyone ever made sweet potatoe pie? For this thanksgiving, I made some, and it was OK, I like pumpkin better...

-Tim

**threenorns** · 10-Dec-05, 09:31 AM

anything dark orange will give you boatloads of vitamin A, really.

warning for those of you with wee ones: my daughter, at about 6 months, went on a sweet potato "jag" (meaning that's all she would eat, EVER). did you know that eating too much orange vegetable will turn kids orange?

SNPiccolo5 · 10-Dec-05, 11:10 AM

Someone at my school who was borderline anorexic ate nothing but squash for a long time and she turned orange. It makes sense, Beta Carotene is a pigment... It won't just turn kids orange, but I'm pretty sure it would do the same to adults! It would be scary though, having something actually turn your skin orange...

-Tim

**.V.** · 10-Dec-05, 01:30 PM

Hmmm a tan in a can - without having to put it all over yourself. Just eat it, get similar bad results.

SNPiccolo5 · 10-Dec-05, 03:15 PM

Lol!!! Unless, of course, you want to put make-up on your face to make yourself look like a pumpkin... Why people do such things is beyond me!

-Tim

**threenorns** · 10-Dec-05, 06:54 PM

we do it because others have decided it's attractive.

it's like shaving - serves no earthly purpose except aesthetics.