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. 16 нояб. 2011 г.
Why is a sweet potato called a yam?
The reason for the name mix-up, she explains, is because Louisiana sweet potato growers marketed their orange-fleshed as “yams” to distinguish from other states' produce in the 1930s—and it stuck. The skin of a yam (left) looks kind of like tree bark, while a sweet potato (right) is more reddish-brown.
What's the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?
Although they are both root vegetables, they belong to two different plant families—the sweet potato is from the morning glory family while the yam is related to the lily. Yams are sweeter than the sweet potato, grow much larger and are also nutritionally inferior.
Why do Canadians call sweet potatoes yams?
Are Sweet Potatoes & Yams Different? In most Canadian grocery stores the short answer is yes. Sweet potatoes have traditionally (and wrongfully) been referred to as “yams”, which has lead to consumer confusion. Therefore, in grocery stores, you will often see sweet potatoes erroneously labelled as a yam.
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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