What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?

Question

are they the same thing?

Answer 1

The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum). Although the sweet potatoes are sometimes called "yams" in the United States, they are even more distantly related to the true yam (Dioscorea species).

The genus Ipomoea that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers called morning glories, though that term is not usually extended to Ipomoea batatas. Some cultivars of Ipomoea batatas are grown as houseplants.

The plant is a herbaceous perennial vine, bearing alternate heart-shaped or palmately lobed leaves and medium-sized sympetalous flowers. The edible tuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose color ranges between red, purple, brown and white. Its flesh ranges between white, yellow, orange, and purple.
A colloquial name for the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), particularly in the United States
Yam is the common name for members of the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). There are more than 600 species of yam. Some species are cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. They are used in a similar fashion to potatoes and sweet potatoes. There are hundreds of cultivars (varieties) among the cultivated species.

The word yam comes from Portuguese inhame or Spanish ñame, which both ultimately derive from the Wolof word nyam, meaning "to sample or taste."

Yam tubers can grow up to seven feet (approx. two meters) in length and weigh up to 150 pounds (68 kg). The yam has a rough skin which is difficult to peel, but which softens after heating. Yam skins vary in color from dark brown to light pink. The majority of the yam is composed of a much softer substance known as the "meat". This substance ranges in color from white to bright orange in ripe yams.

Yams are a primary agricultural commodity in West Africa and New Guinea. They were first cultivated in Africa and Asia about 8000 B.C.. To this day, the yams are important for survival in these regions. Yam tubers can be stored for four to six months without refrigeration, which makes them a valuable resource for the yearly period of food scarcity at the beginning of the wet season.

Yams are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Palpifer sordida
Yams and sweet potatoes
In the United States, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are often referred to as "yams". Sweet potatoes labeled (incorrectly, according to some) as "yams" are widely available in U.S. grocery stores. True yams are mostly only found in specialty markets such as those that serve Asian or Caribbean communities. contrast, people in New Zealand use the word "yam" to refer to the oca (Oxalis tuberosa), and the word "kumara" to refer to the sweet potato.

In some regions of the United States, "yams" (sweet potatoes) are enjoyed with a marshmallow topping which melts as the yam is prepared. This special recipe is revealed mainly during Thanksgiving and other savory holidays.

Answer 2

Sweet potatos are grown in the US and Yams are imported. There is a difference in the genetic makeup as listed at the Dept of Agriculture site. But there terms are used interchangabley and US requires both names be on the label if sold in the USA.

Answer 3

Two different things! Not even related. Sweet potatoes came in different colors and, to avoid confusion, some varieties were simply labeled "yams" to calm the consumer.

I quote:
"The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker-skinned variety (which is most often called "yam" in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture.

The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato.

Generally sweeter than than the sweet potato, this tuber can grow over seven feet in length.

(I have seen Yams in the South Pacific measured by the number of men it takes to carry one. A one-man Yam, a two-man Yam, etc.)

The word yam comes from African words njam, nyami, or djambi, meaning "to eat," and was first recorded in America in 1676.

The yam tuber has a brown or black skin which resembles the bark of a tree and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. They are at home growing in tropical climates, primarily in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content. They are also marketed by their Spanish names, boniato and ñame."

Answer 4

sweet potatoes are white, yams are the golden orange color. Big difference in nutriention. YOu want the color in your food , thats where the good stuff is. Yams require rich soil to grow, sweet potatoes not so much.

Answer 5

Sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas ("batata" is the original Taino name, whence potato), are an American plant of the morning glory family, whereas yams are of the genus Dioscorea. Yams, which are rarely seen in the U.S. and Canada but are a staple in tropical regions, can grow up to seven feet in length.

Answer 6

a sweet potato is root itself, used as a vegetable. and a yam is starchy

Answer 7

no difference, in the south we call them sweet potatoes, and in the north thier called yams, at least that is what i have always thought! if im wrong, then some one please tell me the difference!

Answer 8

same thing. If they are marked YAMS, it means they were grown in Louisiana, and are probably sweeter, therefore.