Native American Sweet Potatoes

[kirite]

Native American sweet potatoes are hard to find. Most groceries stock yams and often call them sweet potatoes. Native American sweet potatoes have light skin and a very light yellow interior. We have been eating them for several years and find their texture and flavor superior to the African originated yam. If you have been eating yams, I humbly suggest that you seek out sweet potatoes. They are also more nutritious.

[Anna Blume]

Native American sweet potatoes are hard to find. Most groceries stock yams and often call them sweet potatoes.

Most supermarkets stock one type of sweet potato which citizens of the US commonly and mistakenly call "yams" in part because of a promotional campaign back in the 30s for Southern-grown sweet potatoes. At a store like Whole Foods, you'll find at least two if not three varieties: Garnet, Jewel, both orange-fleshed, and maybe another that signs call Japanese or "white flesh"; it's hard for me to say since I don't buy these in stores any more.

If you go to a store like Best Way or Aldi or Pan Am or the big loading area near New York Ave. and Gallaudet, especially given numerous recent African diasporas, you can find true yams: large, starchy tubers that aren't sweet and are a great source of nutrition, especially Vitamin C. They are not at all related to sweet potatoes, nor are either of the two related to potatoes.

If you're looking for a greater variety of sweet potatoes (which are indigenous to this part of the world), you might have better luck in farmers markets. There was a fairly recent article in the Post or Express about white-flesh sweet potatoes, for example, that mentions specific farms that grow them.

[kirite]

Most supermarkets stock one type of sweet potato which citizens of the US commonly and mistakenly call "yams" in part because of a promotional campaign back in the 30s for Southern-grown sweet potatoes. At a store like Whole Foods, you'll find at least two if not three varieties: Garnet, Jewel, both orange-fleshed, and maybe another that signs call Japanese or "white flesh"; it's hard for me to say since I don't buy these in stores any more.

If you go to a store like Best Way or Aldi or Pan Am or the big loading area near New York Ave. and Gallaudet, especially given numerous recent African diasporas, you can find true yams: large, starchy tubers that aren't sweet and are a great source of nutrition, especially Vitamin C. They are not at all related to sweet potatoes, nor are either of the two related to potatoes.

If you're looking for a greater variety of sweet potatoes (which are indigenous to this part of the world), you might have better luck in farmers markets. There was a fairly recent article in the Post or Express about white-flesh sweet potatoes, for example, that mentions specific farms that grow them.

Thanks so much for your great reply. We really like the "white" sweet potatoes orignially grown by native Americans and can occasionally be found at at Giant and Balducci's in McLean. We cannot find them at Whole Foods. I was unaware of the 1930s Southern PR campaign. Getting to Gallaudet would be a hike.

[Ilaine]

The big Korean mega-marts carry several varieties of tubers which may be what you are looking for. Off the top of my head, yautia, batata, Japanese yam. Not sure which are discorea (true yam) and which are ipomea (sweet potato) (completely different varieties) because we tend to prefer ipomea varieties but maybe just haven't given discorea a chance.

For many years I was confused because I grew up in Louisiana, where my school teachers insisted that the "Louisiana yam" was not a sweet potato. Like so many things one learned in school, especially in Louisiana, that was not true.

So when I tried a discorea tuber, I was quite surprised. Not sweet, not soft, very starchy. Will try again to appreciate one, this time for what it is, rather than for what it is not. Probably boiled rather than baked?

[Anna Blume]

I know, I know, 'tis a pity she's so petty about something totally unrelated to sous-vide dishes in restaurants, but I just got around to reading Kramer's article on root vegetables in the food edition of The New Yorker (November 2010). The author spreads the misconception that orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are yams. Involving a pilgrim in a bar ordering a yam cocktail, there's also a cartoon to back her up.

[porcupine]

We really like the "white" sweet potatoes orignially grown by native Americans and can occasionally be found at at Giant and Balducci's in McLean.

Don't know if this is the same thing, but recently Bethesda Co-Op has carried a short, fat, smallish, deep-purple/red skinned "sweet potato" (who knows? but that's what they call it) that has a creamy white flesh inside. Baked, they have more of a potato texture, with very little stringiness, but more of a sweet potato flavor, though not as sweet. They're really good.

[Michael Landrum]

...orignially grown by native Americans...

Make sure to check documentation. The illegals will stop at nothing to take away produce sales from real, honest, hard-working Americans.

Be especially careful of anchor babies.

[thistle]

Hmm, anchor babies-when I worked at Holly, Woods, & Vines, I remember planting dozens of ornamental sweet potatoes in the overhead boxes in the spring, then keeping them watered all summer long. When one of the guys emptied out the planters in the fall, they tried roasting the tubers over a fire in the back-I don't think they were very good. But then, I'm not fond of sweet potatoes...

[ol_ironstomach]

Be especially careful of anchor babies.

Or you'll do what?

Is this a...Virginia dare? (guess I'll go make myself scarce for a while...)