Getting to the Root Of Things
October 29, 2004
Much fuss has been made over the difference between yams and sweet potatoes. This week I’ll attempt to settle the confusion between the two: They couldn’t be any more different.
Over the years, folks like myself have assumed that the omnipotent, sweet holiday vegetable baked into sugary and marshmallow-shellacked casseroles was yams. Stores sell them as “yams”; however, what we’ve consumed and thought were yams all these years are actually sweet potatoes. Unless you’ve traveled through and lived in Africa or Southeast Asia, you’ve probably never eaten a yam in the States.
All the “yams” sold in stores are, in fact, sweet potatoes; true yams are seldom cultivated in America. Native to West Africa and Asia, food historians date true yams back to 50,000 B.C.E. The starchy tubers are staple crops in many tropical countries, and some Asian varieties can weigh up to 90 pounds. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are members of the morning glory family and are believed to have originated in Peru or Ecuador during prehistoric times.
There are two main types of sweet potatoes sold in stores. The moist, sweet and orange-fleshed ones are marketed as Jewel or Garnet yams. The drier, firmer, cream- or yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes are sometimes called Japanese sweet potatoes or boniatos. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label “yam” always be accompanied by “sweet potato.”)
So when did all this confusion begin? During the 1930s, farmers began growing and marketing the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as yams to distinguish them from the drier, white-fleshed varieties. According to several unconfirmed horticultural reports, slaves in the South called sweet potatoes by its African name, nyami, which later became “yam” in English.
Sweet Potato
China: fan shu
Fiji: kumala
India: shakar-kandi
Indonesia: ubi-jalar
Japan: Satsuma imo
Malaysia: keledek
Philippines: kamote
Sri Lanka: bath-ala
Thailand: man-thet
Origin: Tropical South America
Availability: Year-round; peak season October through December
Source: United States
Storage: Choose firm and unblemished sweet potatoes. Store in dark, dry and cool places with plenty of ventilation for up to 10 days. Do not put uncooked sweet potatoes in the refrigerator. (Note: White-fleshed sweet potatoes tend to spoil quicker than orange-fleshed counterparts.)
Use: Clean and scrub; peel before or after cooking. Cut into chunks or kept whole, it can be boiled, baked, fried, stewed and steamed.
Medicinal effects: Low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with A and B vitamins, potassium, beta carotene, and other minerals, sweet potatoes have been called one of the world’s healthiest foods.
Garnet: Has a deep red or purple skin and soft, orange flesh. The high moisture content is good for pies, cakes and breads. The soft flesh also makes excellent mashed sweet potatoes.
Jersey: Exceptionally sweet and creamy with a creamy-yellow or tan skin. Its flesh is pale yellow and “dry” and retains its form when baked. Delicious simply steamed in a pot of rice.
Jewel: Thought to be the most versatile sweet potato, with copper-colored skin and moist, bright orange flesh. They stand up well in salads because of their intense color and are good for baking or steaming.
Kotobuki: Reddish-brown skin covers this light-color-fleshed sweet potato, with a nutty roasted-chestnut flavor. Like the Jersey variety, Kotobuki sweet potatoes are drier and not widely used outside of Japanese cooking. Good for tempura, soups and stews, stir-fries, and baking.
Okinawan: Don’t let the amorphous shapes fool you. Beneath the light brown skin is a beautiful, purple-hued flesh. It retains its dark purple color when baked and tastes similar to the Kotobuki sweet potato. Its beautiful color lends itself well to stir-fries, tempura and baking.
Hong Shao Bing (Chinese Sweet Potato Cakes)
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, Jewels or Garnets
• 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
• Sugar
• Sweet potato flour or cornstarch for dusting
• Vegetable oil
Wash and peel sweet potatoes; steam for 30 minutes until fork-tender. Once cooled, mash them with the glutinous rice flour and add a tablespoon of sugar at a time depending on their natural sweetness. Form dough into 1- to 2-inch balls, and gently flatten between your palms and dust with sweet potato flour or cornstarch. Heat oil to about 325 F; add cakes and fry for seven to eight minutes, until golden brown. Drain and serve with sprinkled sugar or drizzled honey.
Reach the Picky Eater at pickyeater@asianweek.com.
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