Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term 'yam' to be accompanied by the term 'sweetpotato. ' Despite the label regulations, most people still think of sweetpotatoes as yams regardless of their true identity.
Why do Americans call them yams?
Americans have been calling the orange-fleshed variety of sweet potatoes "yams" since colonial times when Africans saw familiarities in them to the tuberous variety. The USDA decided to label them as "yams" to differentiate the two varieties.
Is yam and sweet potato the same?
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.
What is the common name for yam?
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera); leaves and aerial bulbils. ... Pictures.TitleLeavesCaptionDioscorea alata (winged yam, uhi); leaves. Maui Nui Botanical Garden, Maui. November 06, 2006
What is a yam called in UK?
The American yam is not commonly found in the UK, yet the term is often used in the US to refer to what the British call a sweet potato; the Brits eat theirs roasted (as they do most things) and have not yet warmed to the American dish of “marshmallow yams.”
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