what is the difference between yams and sweet potatoes ?

Answer 1

Yams are larger. Sweet potatoes are orange inside, while yams are white. Sweet potatoes are sweeter. However, I have found that most recipes that call for yams actually mean sweet potatoes. I think this is mainly because the person who wrote the recipe did not know the difference either.

Answer 2

Yams are vegetables which are sometimes considered the base for Candied Yams. Candied yams (Yams, Brown Sugar, Butter, and sometimes nuts) are often called sweet potatoes, but Sweet Potato is actually another plant, seperate from the Yam, and more distantly related to Yams than Potatoes.

Answer 3

Yams---True yams are not widely marketed and are seldom grown in the United States. Though they can be similar in size and shape to sweet potatoes, yams contain more natural sugar and have a higher moisture content. On the downside, they're not as rich in vitamins A and C as sweet potatoes. There are over 150 species of yam grown throughout the world. They can range in size from that of a small potato to behemoths over 71⁄2 feet long and 120 pounds. Depending on the variety, a yam's flesh may be various shades of off-white, yellow, purple or pink, and the skin from off-white to dark brown. The texture of this vegetable can range from moist and tender to coarse, dry and mealy. Yams can be found in most Latin American markets, often in chunks, sold by weight.

Sweet Potato---This large edible root belongs to the morning-glory family and is native to tropical areas of the Americas. There are many varieties of sweet potato but the two that are widely grown commercially are a pale sweet potato and the darker-skinned variety Americans erroneously call "yam" (the true yam is not related to the sweet potato). The pale sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin and a pale yellow flesh. Its flavor is not sweet and after being cooked, the pale sweet potato is dry and crumbly, much like a white baking potato. The darker variety has a thicker, dark orange skin and a vivid orange, sweet flesh that cooks to a much moister texture. Fresh sweet potatoes are available sporadically throughout the year, though not as readily during the summer months. Canned and frozen sweet potatoes are available year-round and are sometimes labeled as yams. When buying fresh sweet potatoes choose those that are small to medium in size with smooth, unbruised skins.

Answer 4

Yams are African in origin and sweet potatoes are of Central American origin. Sweet potatoes are roots from a vining plant and yams are tubers like potatoes or peanuts.

They are similar in appearance, but are not the same. Yams tend to be larger, longer and darker and are starchier, too.

Answer 5

I have always been told that yams were larger,lighter in color and less sweet, but I really can't tell the difference once they are cooked because most dishes call for sugar. So I think people cover the bitter or sour taste with extra sugar.

Answer 6

Sweet potatoes are exactly just that. Yams are made from sweet potatoes. They are peeled, cut up, & cooked & put in a sugary syrup.

Answer 7

Yams are white in colour,sweet potatoes are yellowish green in colour.Yams have a flaky texture.the asian variety is about the size of a small fist.The pacific island variety goes from2ft-7ft sometimes a ft in circumference.The sweet potato is generally 1-5lb ea

Answer 8

Yams are usually sweeter, moister, plumper, denser, and a deeper orange color than sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are sometimes called yams.

Answer 9

Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). They 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 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 2.5 metres in length (Huxley 1992) and weigh up to 70 kg (150 pounds). 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.




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 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.


FOR MORE SEE THESE

yams= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_%28vegetable%29

sweet potatoes= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potatoes

Answer 10

i prefer sweet potatoes, yams are bitter as the other is sweet! Yay for them!