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Do you ever find yourself loitering in the produce aisle, internally debating the merits of yams versus sweet potatoes? At many grocery stores, they often look identical, but I’ve found that “yams” can be as low as 79 cents per pound, while “sweet potatoes” cost $2.49 per pound. So, what’s the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? At most markets: absolutely nothing. It’s all a facade! “Most of the so-called yams you see in American grocery stores are actually orange-fleshed sweet potatoes,” explains Mary-Frances Heck, a former BA staffer and the author of Sweet Potatoes. The reason for the name mix-up, she explains, is because Louisiana sweet potato growers in the 1930s marketed a new breed of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as “yams” to distinguish their crop from other states’ produce—and it stuck.
The word yam is derived from nyam, nyami, or nyambi, verbs of various African dialects meaning either “to taste” or “to eat.” The prevailing theory is that enslaved Africans applied these terms over time to the sweet potatoes available in the Americas, which took the place in their diet of the staple root vegetable grown in much of West Africa.
True yams are not that commonly available in American markets but may be found in Asian markets. Many of the tuber-like objects listed in the stores as “garnet yams” or “jewel yams” are really a slightly sweeter more orangey sweet potato.
So, what are yams?
True yams are part of an entirely different genus (Dioscorea; sweet potatoes belong to Ipomoea in the morning glory family) and are more akin to yuca in texture and flavor. Yams are commonly used in Caribbean and West African cooking and can grow as long and thick as an adult arm. They have bumpy, tough gray-brown skin (that looks almost like the bark of a tree and must be peeled away with a knife as it’s far too tough for a vegetable peeler). Most varieties aren’t sweet. The most common yams have starchy white flesh (though some reddish, yellow, and purple cultivars exist, such as ube, a.k.a. the purple yams popular in Filipino cooking) and can be more rightly compared to the texture and flavor of white russet potatoes, but with more fiber and complex carbs. Neutral flavored yams are often boiled or steamed to serve alongside hearty braised meats; the cooked flesh may be pounded into fufu or swallow, a starchy paste eaten in many cuisines of the African diaspora.
To complicate things further, there are a handful of sweet potato varieties in a wide range of colors, including orange, white, and purple. We had Heck break down the differences for us.
Difference Between Yams And Sweet Potatoes
FAQ
Is a garnet yam really a sweet potato?
What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?
What is another name for a garnet yam?
What is the difference between jewel yams and garnet yams?
Are yams a sweet potato?
Jewel & Garnet Yams – These have brownish-orange skins and bright orange interiors. While labeled yams, they are actually sweet potatoes and are even more common than the standard white-fleshed sweet potato. These varieties are a low-calorie, nutrient-dense food, packed with vitamin-A (more than carrots!).
What are yams?
Yam is a tuber, a nutritious food, source of carbohydrates, with high energy value. It is a source of energy and disposition for the development of daily activities. Source of soluble fibers that help in good intestinal functioning.
Is a purple yam the same as a sweet potato?
Confusingly, purple yam (the ube of the Philippines) is the same species, but with vividly violet flesh. Increasingly (and incorrectly), purple sweet potatoes are referred to as ube. The real deal is this true yam. African yam, Guinea yam, or Ghana yam is a botanical mouthful: Dioscorea cayenensis subsp. rotundata.
Can yams be substituted for sweet potatoes?
Yams and sweet potatoes can both be prepared by roasting, steaming, boiling or frying. Substituting real yams in a sweet potato dish would be like using potatoes instead of sweet potatoes in the recipe—it would work, but the end result would taste very different.