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We've all been there—standing in the super market wondering if that can of candied yams is actually yams or if it’s just candied sweet potato in disguise. Or, if that pile of yams in the produce section has been mistaken for sweet potatoes. The whole thing is a bit confusing if you ask us! In fact, it makes planning your Thanksgiving dinner just a little more stressful—and that’s something no one needs! So, to make your holiday food shopping easier we’re breaking down the difference between yams and sweet potatoes once and for all.
If you thought yams and sweet potatoes were the same thing, think again. For years, grocery stores have been mislabeling sweet potatoes and yams, and using the names interchangeably. But, it turns out, these two tubers aren't actually related at all. (You won't find yams on our list of types of potatoes!) The one with a bright orange interior used for making the annual marshmallow-topped casserole? That's a sweet potato. Yams, however, look and taste far different than those sugary sweet potatoes. If you've been wondering what exactly is the difference between a yam and a sweet potato, read on for everything you need to know.
A sweet potato is a a root tuber native to Central and South America. Sweet potatoes come in a few varieties and be orange, purple, or even white in flesh. The most common type of sweet potato has bright orange flesh with smooth, rosy brown skin. Sweet potatoes are pretty common in the United States, and are used in many sweet and savory preparations like sweet potato casserole with marshmallow, air-fryer sweet potato fries, beef curry with sweet potato noodles, and Ree Drummond's family favorite Sweet Soul Taters (a yummy sweet potato casserole topped with mounds of brown sugar and pecans).
While yams are also root tubers, they aren't the same as sweet potatoes. In fact, they're far more different than you might realize! Originating in parts of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, yams come in many different shapes, sizes, and varieties. Many popular varieties are cylindrical in shape and have a white flesh with a dark brown skin that appears almost bark-like. But the taste is what's most surprising. Drier and less creamy than sweet potatoes, yams are hardly sweet. They have more of an earthy, neutral taste. In fact, a yam's flesh, in both texture and flavor, is more similar to a russet potato than a sweet potato. Yams can also grow much larger than sweet potatoes, too—more than five feet long and up to 100 pounds. Like sweet potatoes, though, they're best stored in cool, dark spots.
What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?
Now that you know a little more about sweet potatoes and yams, it’s easy to see that they’re actually two different vegetables! They look different, they taste different, and they grow differently, too. They might just have more differences than they do similarities!
While both yams and sweet potatoes are root vegetables, the taste of each is entirely unique. The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes tend to be much sweeter and creamier in texture compared to yams which have a white flesh that's starchier and more similar to a white potato. If you’re able to find true yams in your supermarket, they can be prepared just like your favorite potato recipes—boiled, roasted, baked, or fried. But if sweet, candied recipes are what you’re after, you probably want to stick to using sweet potatoes.
Is a yam healthier than a sweet potato?
Both sweet potatoes and yams are nutritious, albeit completely different vegetables. They are both good to eat as a part of a healthy diet and neither is particularly nutritiously superior to the other. That being said, sweet potatoes contain more vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, and protein.
Unlike sweet potatoes, most yams are starchy and not very sweet—if anything they taste more like potatoes or yuca (also know as cassava or manioc) than sweet potatoes. They have a more cylindrical shape with rough, scaly skin that's brown and almost tree-bark-like in appearance.
No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams have rough, dark brown skin that is often compared to tree bark, and their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, softer flesh (when cooked), and a sweet flavor.
"They are not related or even in the same plant family," Harvey said. "Sweet potatoes are considered storage roots and are grown from plant vine cuttings called slips.Yams are considered tubers and are grown from pieces of the tubers."
Although both veggies are very close in fiber, protein, vitamin C, and magnesium, sweet potatoes are the healthier option because they are lower in overall calories, lower in carbohydrates, and higher in beta carotene (vitamin A).
Yams belong to a different family, called Dioscoreaceae. The edible parts of sweet potatoes are called roots, and yams are classified as tubers. Sweet potato plants are more prolific, producing 4-10 roots per plant. Yams produce just 1-5 tubers per plant.
When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the 'soft' sweet potatoes 'yams' because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, 'soft' sweet potatoes were referred to as 'yams' to distinguish them from the 'firm' varieties.
You can still eat sweet potatoes if you have diabetes, assures Huff. The fiber content in sweet potatoes, especially if you consume them with the skin on, can help reduce spikes in your blood sugar. Plus, how you cook your sweet potatoes can also help reduce the extent to which your blood sugar rises.
In the United States, the terms "yam" and "sweet potato" are used interchangeably, but they are completely different vegetables. Yams are starchy and have a rough, brown exterior. They can grow up to 45 feet long and are eaten in parts of Latin America, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Yams are often mistaken as sweet potatoes because they look and taste similar, however, the two are not botanically related. Sweet potatoes (lpomoea batatas) are roots from a herbaceous perennial vine. Yams (dioscorea alata) are tubers (or bulbs) of a tropical vine.
Are Yams Ok for Diabetics? Yes, yams are ok for diabetics. Yam ranks lower in GI, making it safe for consumption without triggering blood sugar spikes. Yam is also rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so it helps your body function better.
If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.
Yams are not only an excellent source of fiber but also high in potassium and manganese, which are important for supporting bone health, growth, metabolism, and heart function ( 3 , 4 ). These tubers also provide decent amounts of other micronutrients, such as copper and vitamin C.
Both sweet potatoes and yams are nutritious, albeit completely different vegetables. They are both good to eat as a part of a healthy diet and neither is particularly nutritiously superior to the other. That being said, sweet potatoes contain more vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, and protein.
Sweet potatoes tend to have a more tapered shape and may be firm or soft with thinner skin. Generally, sweet potatoes taste sweeter than yams. You will more readily encounter sweet potatoes during your regular grocery run, but if you spot a yam, which may be labeled "sweet potato," you'll know the truth.
Yams are native to Africa and Asia and are still mainly grown there and in parts of the Caribbean and South America. Yams are not grown commercially in the US, so that's why they're not as common as sweet potatoes.
For the uninitiated, ube (pronounced ooh-bae) is a starchy vegetable also as known as a purple yam. But it is not the same as purple sweet potatoes, though they are similar and can be substituted in recipes. Ube is often confused with Stokes Purple sweet potatoes or Okinawan sweet potatoes which are also purple.
Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are richest in beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes with purple flesh are richer in anthocyanins. Beta-carotene and anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant “phyto” chemicals that give vegetables their bright colors.
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