From Southern candied yams to the Black neighborhood’s beloved candy potato pie, the query at all times arises:
Is a yam a potato?
Or, what’s the distinction between candy potatoes and yams?
Candied yams vs. candy potatoes
Beginning with the fundamentals, there’s a definite shade distinction between yams and candy potatoes.
Candy potatoes have a easy, reddish pores and skin shade in comparison with yams’ darkish brown tree-like pores and skin.
What do Africans name candy potatoes?
Yams are a vegetable just like candy potatoes however come from the motherland in Africa.
We get the phrase ‘yam’ as a result of Africans name yams’ nyami.’
Why are candy potatoes referred to as yams?
Enslaved African People started calling the softer than a yam candy potatoes in North America “yams” as a result of they resembled the motherland African vegetable they knew. Thus, many African People right this moment nonetheless name gentle, cooked candy potatoes “yams.”
True to Black of us’ nature, they took one thing from nothing and elevated yams to the soul meals delicacy many individuals love and crave right this moment. Black of us’ Southern candied yams!
Netflix’s soul meals docu-series Excessive on The Hog illustrates how enslaved Africans acknowledged candy potatoes within the Southern US as just like West African yams.
Are yams and candy potatoes the identical?
Requested one other approach, “What’s the distinction between a candy potato and a Southern yam?” Or, “Are candied yams and candied candy potatoes the identical factor?”
One of the crucial vital variations between candy potatoes and yams is their look. Yams are usually bigger, whereas candy potatoes are available smaller sizes.
One other distinction?
Candy potato roots are tapered at one finish, whereas yam roots are extra round. Moreover, yams are starchier and harder than candy potatoes.
Candy potatoes are Southern greens that develop within the floor and are smaller than yams. They’re carefully associated to the potato however have a easy, reddish pores and skin, softer flesh when cooked, and a a lot sweeter taste than yams.
Then again, yams are starchy greens with a extra inflexible texture, usually in comparison with tree bark, and their flesh is drier and extra starchy than candy potatoes.
Do yams and candy potatoes style the identical?
Whereas each are root greens, listed below are a number of explanation why candy potatoes and yams don’t style the identical:
Candy potatoes have below-ground root tubers.
Yams have stem tubers.
Candy potatoes are smaller and rounder in form.
Yams are usually extra cylindrical in form and bigger.
Candy potatoes have a smoother outer pores and skin with softer interior flesh.
Yams have a harder outer pores and skin related in look to tree bark with a extra inflexible interior flesh.
Are you able to substitute yams for candy potatoes?
Yams and candy potatoes aren’t the identical.
So totally different that Style Of House explicitly describes the distinction between the 2 as, “They (candy potatoes and yams) don’t even belong to the identical plant household, they usually originate and develop on totally different continents!”
So candy potatoes and yams shouldn’t be substituted in recipes for each other.
What do candy potatoes and yams have in widespread?
By now, the case is made that candy potatoes aren’t a sort of yam, and yams aren’t a sort of candy potato.
Nevertheless, one factor they’ve in widespread is that they’re each tuberous root greens. Nonetheless, they’re not associated. As obvious by the checklist of issues they don’t have in widespread.
Which is healthier, a candy potato or a yam?
Each candy potatoes and yams are good to eat as part of a nutritious diet.
Neither is healthier in comparison with the opposite or nutritiously superior.
So, in conclusion, what’s the distinction between candy potatoes and yams?
Whereas most individuals confuse the 2, candy potatoes and yams have many variations:
Candy potato pores and skin is smoother than that of yams.
Candy potato flesh is softer (when cooked) than yams.
Candy potatoes have a sweeter style than yams.
Candy potatoes are rounder and tapered on the ends vs. the elongated, cylindrical yam.
Southern soul meals candy potato recipes
With a sweeter style, softer texture, and native to North America, candy potatoes are the primary ingredient for a lot of iconic Southern soul meals recipes:
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