Fall Season Feature: Sweet Potatoes
Hello everyone!
For this entry, I thought we would discuss sweet potatoes. As you know, sweet potatoes are quite popular during the fall and winter. Between the sweet potato pies, mashed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato casseroles, we just seem to not get enough sweet potatoes this time of year! Sweet potatoes are a starchy, sweet root vegetable that belong to the Convolvulaceae family. While it is believed that the sweet potato originated in Polynesia several thousands of years ago, today’s domesticated sweet potato originated in Central America and South America.
In North America, sweet potatoes are often called yams. A true yam is actually an entirely different vegetable. Yams are native to Africa and Asia and contain a more firm, drier texture and higher starch content than sweet potatoes. When sweet potatoes first started growing in the United States, they contained a firmer texture than the sweet potatoes we see today. When softer sweet potatoes started growing, African slaves called the softer sweet potatoes yams because they reminded the slaves of the yams in Africa.
Sweet potatoes are full of fiber and rich in nutrients, such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, manganese, and potassium. Sweet potatoes also contain antioxidants, which can protect the body from inflammation. The fiber in sweet potatoes promotes good gut health. The nutrients and antioxidants mentioned may also improve immune function, improve brain function, and protect the body from some cancers.
I like to consume sweet potatoes in numerous ways. Check out my list below.
- Baked sweet potato with butter, cinnamon and nutmeg
- Roasted, cubed sweet potatoes with various spices
- Baked sweet potato fries
- Cubed sweet potato in various soups and stews
- Mashed sweet potatoes
- Sweet potato pie
How do you like to eat sweet potatoes? Have you ever eaten a yam before and if so how was it prepared?
Wow that’s great I didn’t know there was a difference and there’s more of a difference in them than I thought thanks for the knowledge can they both make good pies ?
A lot of information I didn’t know, thank you. I prepare sweet potatoes mashed of baked whole with butter, and sometimes I’ll add a little cinnamon. I also bake sweet potato pies, but mine aren’t very good in comparison to my other family members. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten yams before, but if I did I don’t remember how they were prepared or how they taste. Now that I know they are more starchy I’ll continue to eat the sweet potatoes.