Potato vs. Sweet Potato vs. Yam

[BBQ Mikey]

Potato, Sweet Potato, Yam. I used to think that Sweet potatoes and Yams were the same thing, but they apparantly are not the same since my grocer has Sweet Potatoes (White Inside) and Yams (orange inside). Which is healthiest? Is there a big difference? I'm curious.

[jkath]

All we have in this country are sweet potatoes - the ones we call yams aren't actually yams. Go figure!
I'll see if I could find the discussion we had a while ago about it....


Here you go:
Sweet Potatoes versus Yams

[Andy M.]

Sweet potatoes come in two varieties, white and orange. The origin of the "yam" is that growers in Mississippi (I think) developed an orange sweet potato and wanted some way of differentiating it from the popular white sweet potato so they dubbed it a yam. It's a marketing thing.

True yams are uncommon in the USA and are huge, up to three feet long. They are a common starch in the islands of the Caribbean.

[BBQ Mikey]

Wow. That is very interesting.

[Maverick2272]

We were always told sweet potatoes were orange and sweet, while yams were yellow and not as sweet.

[elaine l]

All I know about it is that I prefer the white sweets. Nice nutty flavor.

[BBQ Mikey]

Originally Posted by Maverick2272

We were always told sweet potatoes were orange and sweet, while yams were yellow and not as sweet.

The Great Debate has begun.

[Maverick2272]

LOL. I am far from an expert on this let alone an informed source! It is just what I was told growing up.
Heck, I didn't even know there were white ones!

[Andy M.]

Check out this reference link.

[Maverick2272]

That aint helpin, LOL!

The first one that looks yellow is what we always called a yam. The second one, the tropical yam never heard of before. The third one that looks orange is what I have always known as a sweet potato. The fourth one the Japanese one I never heard of before either, LOL.
So apparently I have it backwards of what most Americans apparently say!