SWEET POTATO AND YAM RECIPES

YES MA'AM IT'S CALLED A YAM

Are sweet potatoes and yams the same thing????
Yes and No.

As I said before, I am very interested in regional foods and how things got their name.
I also smile when I imagine the first person who, more than likely, accidentally found a potato, pulled it all the way out of the dirt, looked at it and said to themselves
"I am gonna wash this up and eat it"
;)
Sweet Potatoes and Yam or Yams and Sweet potatoes, many think the names are interchangable. It really depends on how you look at it. I did some research and botanically, scientifically they are not related at all.
Although it is true that both the yam and the sweet potato grow underground and
both have an orange-yellow flesh, but that is about where the similarity ends.
I found a statement from: The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission,
they currently urge the world to spell "sweetpotato" as one word but also state
"it's an uphill battle"


YAMS : 'Dioscorea Species'
plant family: Yam DIOSCOREACEAE

Yams are larger, very starchy, edible tuberous roots.
In Africa, the Yam is used as a staple food in daily life.
The African word "nyami" referred to the starchy, edible root of the Dioscorea genus.
The English form of this plant is "yam".
Yams in the U.S. are actually sweet potatoes with relatively moist texture and orange flesh.
They grow in tropical and subtropical climates and require 8-10 months of warm weather to mature.

Yam facts that surprised me:
Yams are believed to have been around since 50,000 BC.
Yams can grow two to three feet long and some can weigh as much as 80 pounds.
(Wow, that would make a heck of a caserole)
In the United States today it is possible to find 'true' yams in some urban Hispanic markets, they are imported from the Carribean. Although the terms are generally used interchangeably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label "yam" always be accompanied by "sweet potato."


***

SWEET POTATO: Ipomoea batatas
plant family: Morning glory CONVOLVULACEAE
Some of the Most well known types of sweet potato:
'Nemagold', 'New Jersey Orange' and the 'Nugget',
have the lighter and drier (sweet potato) flesh.
The two most popular varieties that used to be known as Yams are:
'Centennial' and 'Puerto Rico' which are moist-fleshed varieties.
Each variety of sweet potato bring different tastes, textures, and colors to your diet.
Many believe that the two different potatoes became merged and called "Yam" simply by the everyday shopper being told by grocers, all orange potatoes are Yams.
The 'early' sweet potato producers attached the word Yam to all of the deep orange, moist fleshed varieties of Sweet Potatoes in the marketplace, they then called the yellowish, smaller, drier fleshed potatoes, Sweet potato.

Sweet potato facts that surprised me:
Scientists believe the sweet potato has been around since Prehistoric Times.
Sweet Potatoes are in the Morning glory family


^^

Here are a few
SWEET POTATO & YAM RECIPES

Basic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

2 lbs sweet potatoes
1/4 C brown sugar
1 t cinnamom
1 t nutmeg
1 TBS melted butter
1 1/2 C mini marshmallows, divided

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook potatoes and mash to 3 cups.
Mix with spices, butter, and half the mini marshmallows.
Place in a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
Top with remaining marshmallows.
Bake for 25 mins. or until puffy and
marshmallows are delicately browned.


^^


Sweet Potato Biscuit Recipe

1 medium (8 oz) sweet potato
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbls butter, at room temperature
6 Tbls milk

Wash potato, prick with fork, wrap in paper towel,
and microwave for 6 minutes.
Remove from microwave and cool.
Next, Cut the potato in half, scooping potato meat into a bowl and mash.
Sift together dry ingredients, mix in potato,
butter and milk until doughy.
Flour a flat surface and knead dough until smooth.
Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
Cut biscuits out with biscuit / cookie cutters.
Place on greased baking sheet.
Bake 12 minutes in preheated 450 degree oven
Serve warm with a little butter or fruit jam if desired.

Makes 8 good sized biscuits


^^


Sweet Sweet Potato Caserole

3 c. sweet potatoes, mashed
1/3 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together and put into a casserole dish.

TOPPING
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. pecans, chopped

Mix together and sprinkle on top of mixture of potatoes
Can also add cinnamon on top of mixture before baking.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

^^

Sweet Potato Cookies

1 c. sweet potato, cooked & mashed
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. margarine
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. quick cooking oatmeal
1 c. pecans
1 c. raisins

Mix butter and sugar together.
Add eggs and dry ingredients and
then pecans and raisins.
Drop by teaspoons.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

^^

BAKED YAMS

Cut yams into large serving-sized pieces.
Wrap each piece in aluminium foil (or banana leaves)
as one would wrap baking potatoes.
Bake in a hot oven (400 - 425 degrees) for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs
or roast on an outdoor grill until tender.

Serve with salt, pepper, and butter.

^^


Roasted Yam Recipe

Peel and wash the yams in salted water; dry with paper towel;
Roll in flour and bake in a 350° F oven for about
30 minutes or until tender and browned.

Cut in half and scoop out the interior flesh;
Mash with a little milk, a pinch of salt and some
butter as you would for mashed potatoes.

serving suggestion:
Trim the shells to form little "boats"
fill each one with the mashed yam mixture
sprinkle with parsley and if necessary
return to the oven to heat through.

^^

CINNAMON YAM MASH RECIPE

5 pounds of yams
2 quarts hot water
1 Tbsp. salt
8 oz. butter (sliced)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. white ground pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar

Place peeled and diced yams in large stockpot
Add hot water and salt and bring to a boil for 35 minutes.
Drain water and transfer into mixing bowl and mash.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

^^





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