In the United States, most tubers sold as yams are actually members of the sweet potato family. Your Garnets, your Jewels, the “yams” with the rich orange flesh and reddish-brown exterior, are, botanically, sweet potatoes.
Is there a difference between a yam and a sweet potato?
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. Sweet potatoes are a New World root vegetable, have a softer, reddish skin, a creamier interior, and often, a darker interior.
Can I use yam instead of sweet potato?
The main reason you can't substitute sweet potatoes for yams, or vice versa, is because the two root vegetables taste entirely differently and have very different nutritional compositions. A yam is starchy and dry, but a sweet potato is, as the name suggests, sweet and moister.
Are garnet potatoes sweet?
After Beauregards and Jewels, Garnet sweet potatoes are the third most popular sweet potato in U.S. grocery stores. You can easily identify these potatoes by their reddish-purple skin and orange flesh. They are less sweet than both Beauregards and Jewels but noticeably juicier.
Are garnet and red sweet potatoes the same?
Sweet potatoes actually belong to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae (that means lots of pretty flowers!). The most common varieties in the U.S. are the Beauregard (the most widely grown cultivar), the jewel, and the garnet (also sometimes known as red yams).
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