What is the Difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes and yam are two different vegetables but they are known to a large number of people as one vegetable. So in this confusion, people uses these terms interchangeably, leave aside laymen, even professional cooks, sometimes do not know if they are a single vegetable or two different vegetables. Yes! They are different, so let’s see what they actually are and how they are different from each other.
Yams
Yam is tuber of tropical vine called dioscorea batata. It has almost 150 varieties available worldwide. It is most commonly found in Latin american and Caribbean markets where it grows. It can be of as much as 7 feet in length. In tropical areas, it is grown in homes. It has black or brown skin like that of bark of a tree and its flesh is white, purple or red as per the variety. They are sweeter than sweet potatoes, and can be found in markets by their Spanish name boniato.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes come in two dominant varieties, the pale yellow and the darker skinned. Both are different in taste though, but belong to one family. They are very popular is South America. The pale skinned tuber or sweet potato has thin skin with light yellow or pale yellow flesh. This is not sweet and has dry texture. The other variety, the darker skinned sweet potato has dark yellow or orange thick skin and it is sweet in taste. Unlike pale skinned sweet potato its flesh is vivid orange in color, it is most often called yam.
Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes
The first difference is the area where they are grown and found. The yams are grown in tropical areas while sweet potatoes are found in south America. The yams are sweet and they can grow to extensive length of 7 meters while sweet potatoes do not grow that long. Yams are sweeter than sweet potatoes. The flesh color as well as the skin color of both is different.
Related posts
- What is the Difference between Parsnip Swede Beet Radish Turnip And Rutabaga
- What is the Difference between Cranberry Blueberry Strawberry Raspberry and Blackberry
- What is the Difference between Brown and White Eggs
- What is the Difference between Sour Cream, Yellow and White American Cheese
- What is the Difference between Groundnuts Almonds Cashews Peanuts and Tree Nuts
- What is the Difference between Toasting Roasting Grilling Broiling Baking Frying Boiling
- What is the Difference between Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour
- What is the Difference between Chow Mein and Lo Mein
- What is the Difference between Saturated and Unsaturated Fats
- What is the Difference between Mineral, Sparkling, Soda and Tonic Water