History Yams what are they?

[donna]

There have been questions on what is a Yam. They are often mistakenly called sweet potatoes and vice versa. They are two different vegetables.

A yam is a tuber of a tropical vine that can grow over seven feet in length The yam's botanical name is dioscarea batatas. It has also been called a boniato, a njam, djambi yamswurzel and igname de chine. It depends on the country.
They are indigenous to Africa and Asia with most grown in Africa. They are sold in chunks if you can find them in U.S. They have rough dark skin and their skin ranges from white to reddish in color.

Even though you will find some canned vegetables labeled as yams, these are not yams. These are sweet potatoes in the cans. They started selling these sweet potatoes as yams several hundred years ago. They say that slaves from Africa referred to sweet potatoes here as yams and that how it started.

Yams are drier than sweet potatoes and are starchier. They are served boiled and sprinkled with palm oil in Africa. They can be roasted, fried, grilled and baked.

 

[major bill]

True, but there are still many people who call sweet potatoes, yams.

 

[lupaglupa]

I've never had a true yam so I can't say but supposedly they taste enough alike to be mistaken for each other

 

[donna]

In Ghana yams are a stable. One way to fix them is fry them. Take large yam cut into fry like pieces. Soak in water for 10 minutes. Place oil in pan and fry slices. Drain them. Then serve with a pepper sauce.

Sounds a lot like French fries or sweet potato fries but of course a very different taste.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

There have been questions on what is a Yam. They are often mistakenly called sweet potatoes and vice versa. They are two different vegetables.

A yam is a tuber of a tropical vine that can grow over seven feet in length The yam's botanical name is dioscarea batatas. It has also been called a boniato, a njam, djambi yamswurzel and igname de chine. It depends on the country.
They are indigenous to Africa and Asia with most grown in Africa. They are sold in chunks if you can find them in U.S. They have rough dark skin and their skin ranges from white to reddish in color.

Even though you will find some canned vegetables labeled as yams, these are not yams. These are sweet potatoes in the cans. They started selling these sweet potatoes as yams several hundred years ago. They say that slaves from Africa referred to sweet potatoes here as yams and that how it started.

Yams are drier than sweet potatoes and are starchier. They are served boiled and sprinkled with palm oil in Africa. They can be roasted, fried, grilled and baked.

Thanks @donna.

Put both in can, cover em' with the same industrial syrup ... and there's no wonder why so many people are confused.

In Ghana yams are a stable. One way to fix them is fry them. Take large yam cut into fry like pieces. Soak in water for 10 minutes. Place oil in pan and fry slices. Drain them. Then serve with a pepper sauce.

Now this reminds me of the differences between a banana and a plantain.
They look alike , but are two entirely different things .

a tropical vine that can grow over seven feet in length

Now that I had no idea !

 

[Pat Answer]

Put both in can, cover em' with the same industrial syrup ... and there's no wonder why so many people are confused.

Yup. Sigh...

 

[Fenwick1863]

And here I am, always having reckoned that it was a Yankee thing to call my precious sweet potatoes "yams!"