Fun History of the Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is a vegetable of the family Convolvulaceae, a vine, a funnel shaped flower, and a bisexual plant. The plant name is Ipomoea batatas. Sweet potato is also assimilated as 'Yam' in America, but this is due to orange meat. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013) The history of sweet potatoes dates back to 750 BC. In Peru's report, archaeologists have found evidence that sweet potatoes started around 2500 BC to 1850 BC. Columbus is said to have bought sweet potatoes from the UK and shortly after being shipped here.

Sweet orange vegetables you like very much are simply sweet potatoes. Yes, all so-called "yam" is actually sweet potato. Most people think long red sweet potatoes are yam, but they are actually just one of many sweet potatoes. So where did all the confusion come from? Let's see the main differences between yam and sweet potato. Depending on the type, the sweet potato meat ranges from white to orange, and even purple. This orange meat was introduced to the United States decades ago. To distinguish it from white varieties that everyone is familiar with, the producers and shippers chose the English form of the African word "nyami" and labeled it "yams".

The appearance of yam is similar to that of sweet potato. However, they are not related at all. Several major differences are distinguished from sweet potatoes. Yam is a monocotyledonous plant of large size, thick, coarse, dark brown to pink, depending on the breed type. However, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant, the size is relatively small, the skin is thin. Dietary fiber helps to reduce constipation by preventing toxic compounds in food from adhering to the colonic mucosa, lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) cholesterol levels, and combining with the intestines to reduce the risk of colon cancer . In addition, as a good source of complex carbohydrates, it can adjust steady rise in blood glucose levels. For the same reason, yam is recommended as a low glycemic index health food.