Yams are often mistakenly calledsweet potatoesand vice versa, but these are actually two different vegetables. A true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine that can grow over seven feet in length, and it's not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Yams are a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, but the genuine article can be difficult to find in U.S. stores.
The yam's botanical name is dioscorea batatas. Depending on country and region, it may also be called a boniato, njam, nyami, djambi, yamswurzel, ñame or igname de chine.
How to Identify a Real Yam
True yams are indigenous to Africa and Asia, with most grown in Africa, but there are over 150 varieties of yamsavailable worldwide. Yams are mostly sold in chunks, sealed in plastic wrap—if you can even find them in the U.S. at all. They can reach up to 150 pounds, but they can also be as small as your average spud. True yams have rough, dark skin, and their flesh can range from white to reddish color, but it's usually white.
Although you might find canned vegetables labeled as yams, these probably aren't true yams. Even the "yams" found in fresh produce sections of grocery stores are rarely real yams. They're soft sweet potatoes, which are different from firm sweet potatoes. U.S. grocers began selling these homegrown soft potatoes as yams hundreds of years ago in an effort to differentiate them from the firm sweet potatoes people had been buying for years. The FDA has never gotten involved in this case of mistaken identity to sort out the discrepancy.
Real yams are imported. Your best chance of finding the real deal is at specialty and international markets. Choose yams with unblemished, tight, unwrinkled skins and firm flesh. And yes, like just about everything else these days, you can buy real yams online.
What Does a Yam Taste Like?
Yams tended to be drier than sweet potatoes and they're starchier. They're often served boiled and sprinkled with palm oil in their native Africa, but they can also be roasted, fried, grilled, or baked.Unlike sweet potatoes, yams are toxic if they're eaten raw, but they're perfectly safe when cooked.True yams can generally be substitutedin any sweet potato recipe.
Yam Storage
Store fresh, uncooked yams in a cool, dark, dry area for up to two weeks. Do not refrigerate them. Cooked yams can be kept refrigerated for two to three days. Pack them in an airtight container if you want to freeze them, leaving about a half inch of headroom. You can safely freeze yams for 10 to 12 months at 0 F.
Nutritional Information
True yams don't contain as much Vitamin A and C as sweet potatoes, but they're high in potassium and fiber.
FAQs
Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the Same? No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams have rough, dark brown skin that is often compared to tree bark, and their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, softer flesh (when cooked), and a sweet flavor.
Are yams just sweet potatoes? ›
Yams and sweet potatoes differ in flavor and appearance, and they are not related. Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, while yams belong to the lily family. Yams aren't as sweet as sweet potatoes, and they are starchier and drier. Their texture and flavor are more similar to potatoes or yuca.
Why does everyone call yams sweet potatoes? ›
When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the 'soft' sweet potatoes 'yams' because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, 'soft' sweet potatoes were referred to as 'yams' to distinguish them from the 'firm' varieties.
Are yams and sweet potatoes are used interchangeably? ›
“Sweet potato” and “yam” are often used interchangeably, but these are different vegetables.
Can you get real yams in the United States? ›
Yams are native to Africa and Asia and are still mainly grown there and in parts of the Caribbean and South America. Yams are not grown commercially in the US, so that's why they're not as common as sweet potatoes.
Which is healthier, yam or sweet potato? ›
Both sweet potatoes and yams are nutritious, albeit completely different vegetables. They are both good to eat as a part of a healthy diet and neither is particularly nutritiously superior to the other. That being said, sweet potatoes contain more vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, and protein.
What are yams slang for? ›
For clarity: "Yams" are a specific potato that is shaped roughly similar to a human leg (feminine). The slang was used predominantly in the 1940s to 1960s to describe an attractive woman's legs. "Gams" means the same thing.
What do Americans call yams? ›
Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes
Often North Americans use the words “yam” & “sweet potato” interchangeably.
What culture eats yams? ›
Yams are starchy and have a rough, brown exterior. They can grow up to 45 feet long and are eaten in parts of Latin America, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Are taro and yam the same? ›
Purple yams and taro root look similar, hence the confusion between the two. Nonetheless, when stripped of their skins, they are different colors. Taro is grown from the tropical taro plant and is not one of the nearly 600 types of yams. taro plant, and unlike purple yams, they are not a species of yam.
Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the Same? No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams have rough, dark brown skin that is often compared to tree bark, and their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, softer flesh (when cooked), and a sweet flavor.
Which tastes better, yams or sweet potatoes? ›
Sweet potatoes tend to have a more tapered shape and may be firm or soft with thinner skin. Generally, sweet potatoes taste sweeter than yams. You will more readily encounter sweet potatoes during your regular grocery run, but if you spot a yam, which may be labeled "sweet potato," you'll know the truth.
Is it okay to eat raw sweet potatoes? ›
“Sweet potato, often associated with oven baked, roasted or mashed, can actually be consumed raw,” says Cox. But you'll want to grate the flesh first to make it more palatable: “Grated into a slaw, sweet potatoes are a super source of beta carotene, vitamin C and fibre.”
Are canned yams actually sweet potatoes? ›
True yams are part of an entirely different genus (Dioscorea; sweet potatoes belong to Ipomoea in the morning glory family) and are more akin to yuca in texture and flavor.
Do yams and sweet potatoes grow the same way? ›
Potatoes and yams technically have modified belowground stems (“stem tubers”) while sweet potatoes have “root tubers.” monocots (related to grasses and lilies). Yams are widely cultivated worldwide, especially in West Africa, where 95% of the crop is harvested.
Where can I find true yams? ›
Yams are cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical regions, especially in West Africa, South America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Oceania. About 95% of yam crops are grown in Africa.
Are yams good for diabetics? ›
Its high fibre content contributes to a glycemic index of 54, significantly lower than that of potatoes having a glycemic index of 80. This makes yam better suited for weight watchers, diabetics and those with heart disease as it does not create sharp increase in insulin response.
Are yams natural? ›
Yams are perennial herbaceous vines native to Africa, Asia, and the Americas and cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical regions. The tubers themselves, also called "yams", come in a variety of forms owing to numerous cultivars and related species.
What do African yams look like? ›
The yam's skin is thick, ranging in color from brown to tan hues, and has a scaly, wrinkled, and textured surface, giving the tuber a rough feel. Underneath the tough skin, the cream-colored to off-white flesh is dense, firm, dry, and starchy. Yams are inedible when raw and must be cooked before they are consumed.
Are sweet potato fries yams or sweet potatoes? ›
Answer: sweet potato fries…but only because yam fries don't exist! I know, I know—you had some last night with your burger, but the restaurant tricked you as 'yams' are seldom seen in mainstream North American markets! That sugary, moist, orange tuber found in grocery stores is actually a sweet potato.
