By Debra Morris–
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you’re probably thinking about picking up some delicious sweet potatoes, and there’s no better place to find the best than at your local farmers’ market. But did you know that yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing?
You’re unlikely to find a true yam at your farmers’ market, grocery store, or restaurant. Although the terms “yam” and “sweet potato” are often used interchangeably, they come from different plant species. Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas, while yams originate from Africa.
There is incredible diversity in sweet potatoes; you can find varieties with snow-white, purple, or the familiar bright orange flesh. In contrast, a real yam is starchy and dry, with a bark-like brown skin. Its flesh can be off-white, purple, or red, and true yams are rarely found in the U.S.
Why the confusion between the two names? In the 1930s, a new variety of sweet potato was cultivated, and to distinguish it from the existing varieties—smaller, drier, and with white or yellowish flesh—growers began calling this new type a “yam.” This term is rooted in the West African words nyam, nyami, or enyame, that mean “to eat.” Enslaved African communities were the first to use “yam” to refer to sweet potatoes, as the new variety reminded them of the yams they had eaten in Africa. Today, USDA regulations require that products labeled as “yams” also include the term “sweet potatoes,” reflecting the fact that they are technically and biologically not yams at all.
There are a few varieties you’re most likely to come across at the farmers’
market.
Beauregard: This is a copper-skinned potato that is the most versatile of the three sweet potato varieties. When cooked, the flesh of the Beauregard retains its vivid orange color, making it ideal for baking, steaming, roasting and casseroles, and its delicate sweet taste blends with herbs and spices.
Diane, Red Garnet, Jewel: These varieties, with their moist orange flesh, are often called “yams,” but they are actually members of the sweet potato family. The Garnet and Diane are easily identified by their deep red or purple jacket. They are a good choice for pies, breads, and any recipe that calls for mashed or grated sweet potatoes.
Golden Sweet: The Golden Sweet, with its cream-colored skin and yellow, somewhat dry, mealy flesh, is always labeled “sweet potato.”
Sweet Potato Fries
• 2 pounds of sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon 5 spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil. Mix the spices, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes.
Spread wedges out on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Debra Morris is a spokesperson for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association. For more information and recipes:https://www.pcfma.org/
This Month at the Farmer’s Market
Published on November 7, 2024
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