Yams are imported into the USA and Canada from the Caribbean or Latin America. Sweet potatoes are root vegetables that are native to the USA. They have delicate skin and a sweet tasting moist texture. Depending on the variety, sweet potato flesh can vary from white to orange and even purple.
Can you buy yams in the USA?
True yams are indigenous to Africa and Asia, with most grown in Africa, but there are over 150 varieties of yams available worldwide. Yams are mostly sold in chunks, sealed in plastic wrap—if you can even find them in the U.S. at all.
What is yam called in America?
In the United States, the terms “yam” and “sweet potato” are used interchangeably, but they are completely different vegetables. 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.
Where do you get yams?
Yams are grown in Africa and the Caribbean, so they are usually imported to the United States. They're most commonly sold in specialty shops, like African grocery stores. Yams are also not related to potatoes, but are actually related to lilies.
Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?
The skin of a yam (left) looks kind of like tree bark, while a sweet potato (right) is more reddish-brown. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They have bumpy, tough brown skin (that looks almost tree trunk-like) with starchy, not sweet flesh.
