Sweet Potatoes or Yams?
Sweet Potatoes or Yams?
Tis the season of the yams! We know our holiday table wouldn’t be complete without a bubbling hot rich sweet potato casserole. Or is it a yam casserole and what is the difference? Well, a true yam actually is a tuber grown in the tropics, and a true sweet potato is an enlarged root of the sweet potato plant that is starchy when harvested but becomes sweeter after storage. In the 1930′s, as Louisiana sweet potatoes were shipped to the eastern states, the consumer recognized that Louisiana sweet potatoes were moist, sweet and soft when baked. Thus, “Louisiana Yams” (yam comes from African word “nyami” means “to eat”) became the trademark of the Louisiana sweet potato distinguishing them as the sweetest and most moist variety.
Here’s one of my favorite Louisiana yam recipes that I have no willpower–natural sweetness of yams, tart cranberries and a toasty pecan praline topping.
Sweet Potato Coffee Cake with Praline Topping from Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Freezer Friendly Meals
Versatility and new yam ideas! This nutritional vegetable packed with antioxidants and fiber adds a natural sweetness to any recipe from soups, stews, casseroles and breads.
Terrific Yam Tidbits:
1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes (yams) drained and mashed equals 1 cup.
- 1 medium sweet potato, cooked equals 1 cup mashed
- If a recipe calls for canned sweet potatoes, fresh cooked sweet potatoes may be used.
- Bake sweet potatoes, wrap well, and freeze to pull out for a quick dinner side.
- Sweet potatoes (yams) should not be refrigerated unless cooked.
- Look for Louisiana yams in your grocery!
