How many varieties of yams are there?

How many varieties of yams are there?

There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier.

Is there a difference between a sweet potato and a yam?

Yams are starchy and have a rough, brown exterior. They can grow up to 45 feet long and are eaten in parts of Latin America, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia. Sweet potatoes are a New World root vegetable, have a softer, reddish skin, a creamier interior, and often, a darker interior.

Is there a difference between yams?

The skin of a yam (left) looks kind of like tree bark, while a sweet potato (right) is more reddish-brown. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They have bumpy, tough brown skin (that looks almost tree trunk-like) with starchy, not sweet flesh.

What are the different kind of sweet potatoes?

They are actually varieties of sweet potatoes labeled as yams, which causes plenty of confusion.

• Beauregard. The most common sweet potato sold at grocery stores.
• Jewel.
• Red Garnet.
• Covington.
• Centennial.
• O’Henry.
• Jersey.
• Japanese White (Satsuma-Imo, Kotobuki, or Oriental)

Which is sweeter yam or sweet potato?

Sweetpotatoes are almost always sweeter than yams. They have versatile flavor easily altered by cooking methods. Starchier and more potato-like, usually not very sweet.

What is the difference between jewel yams and garnet yams?

I think I’ve figured it out, though: the garnet yam has a reddish skin and tends to be thicker and rounder—sort of more corpulent—and the jewel has brown (sort of light brown) skin and is longer and skinnier.

Which are better garnet or jewel yams?

Garnet. You can spot a garnet by its reddish-purple skin which reveals a striking orange interior. These are super velvety, with a denser texture and more complex flavor than jewels.